Fil-Beraħ : children’s use of public open spaces [toolkit : how to involve children and young people in the design of open spaces]

Abstract

There may be various public spaces in a neighbourhood including the immediate surroundings of the neighbourhood, the streets, the squares, local parks playgrounds and diverse natural environmental settings. The experience of public open spaces is important for children as it provides them with their first independent opportunity to form relationships with people who are not members of their family. This toolkit is a product of a research project which promoted participatory research and focused on gathering insights about children’s views and experiences about outdoor space within their own locality. The project relied on the full participation of children and young people and the diverse methods adopted to collect data, were child-led. This research project was intended to serve as a pilot and by extrapolating general principles followed and lessons learnt, this toolkit has been developed to assist others wishing to carry out similar projects where children can participate in exploring the use, planning and design of public open spaces. The locality chosen for the project was selected due to a high child population, the presence of blue and green spaces, and the possibility it offered for the design of an open space by children and young people.