The field has recently been witness to a stream of British and American books dealing with children and the urban environment. This Australian book provides something of a contrast to the dominant writers. The anthology brings together a number of Australian researchers mainly from within the geography and planning fields, with an early childhood educator and the Director of UNESCO's Growing up in Cities Project. These contributors write from varying perspectives such as planning, design, transport, social policy and housing.
The key hope of the book, as expressed by the editors, is that children will be reinstated at the centre of debate and analysis of urban conditions. It is this hope that set this book apart from many other similar publications in the field. This book does not seek only to display and discuss, it also seeks to make a difference. Perhaps, this is the result of having a key target group consisting of professional planners and policy makers 'seeking answers to the challenges of creating cities that work for and include children.'
The book is divided into three parts 'Scales of Analysis,' 'Policies, Professionals and the Environment,' and 'Spheres of Action'.
The first part consists of three contributions dealing with the different levels involved in conditions in respect of children and urban environments. It stretches from Malone's contribution on the UN's role as a key player in achieving 'child-friendly cities', to Gleeson's contribution on Australia's cities and the conditions that children face as they grow up, and Ivesson's chapter dealing with the exclusion of 'angry young people' i.e. young people displaying 'anti social behaviour'. Ivesson argues that the exclusion of young people should not be met with efforts aiming at 'inclusion', as these concepts draw upon un-democratic definitions of the city and city life. This is a crucial, if often neglected, issue. What does it mean to 'include' children and young people? Is the adult community willing to re-define the concept of 'good' city life if it is necessary in order to include the interests of children and young people?
The second part of the book consists of Freeman's contribution on the colliding worlds of planners and young people, that is, participant planning with children and young people. The chapter includes a discussion of why children need to participate, what constitutes a good environment and the changing contexts of the environment, in relation to both society and childhood. What is particularly intriguing in the context of this chapter is that Freeman brings up the crucial issue of 'the colliding worlds'. What happens when planners need to change focus from the 'public good' to the actual people (adults or children) they plan for? This, I would argue, speaks to a central issue in achieving well-functioning participant planning. The contribution of Sipe, Buchanan and Dodson contains reference to a literature review that ranges through crucial research from the 1970's up until the present. It is a short review but it contains a treasure-trove of information on children and urban environments. Although some crucial references are missing (due to the format) it serves as a solid background to the debate on children and cities.
The third part of the book is perhaps particularly interesting as it focuses on 'spheres of action'. It deals with the 'walking school bus' (Kearns and Damien) and how to overcome difficulties relating to 'social traps' (Tranter). 'Social traps' are exemplified through the difficulties parents face if they want their children to walk to school when all other parents drive their children, while Tranter discuss how these 'social traps' can be overcome. This is crucial as this behaviour sets standards for 'good parenting' and, hence, forms children's lives.
The final chapter, written by Walsh, presents a range of planning principles, guidelines and design specifications enabling policy makers and practitioners to better understand children's play needs. This is a chapter that some academics may perhaps find overly focused on practical issues. However, in the end, this is what is needed to achieve change in children's lives; concrete examples that help improve everyday life for planners as well as for children.
Thus, it is necessary to ask whether this book contains something extra to distinguish it from the rest within this vast field. Well, yes it has, as it consists of vivid texts that maintain a good balance between the perspectives of academics and of professionals. This
balance ensures that the book will be successful in both environments.
Who then constitute the target audi77ence for this book – who can we recommend it to? If you are an academic well-acquainted with the literature on children and urban environments, then, will you learn much that is new? Perhaps not, but you will gain a breath of fresh air, inspiration and learn about the wider debate and ongoing research in this area in Australia and New Zeeland. If you are a professional wanting to learn more about the research field on children and urban environments – read it, it is full of research findings, practical suggestions, and ideas. The same advice goes for academics within other fields of research who want to attain a thorough overview of research and debate within this expanding field.
By Sofia Cele, PhD, Department of Human Geography, Stockholm University, Stockholm.