Charting Generational Differences in Conceptions and Opportunities for Play in a Japanese Neighborhood

Abstract

This paper is written about the transformation of children's playing spaces in one neighborhood in Tokyo (Taishido district in Setagaya ward). As part of an action research project that was initiated in 1981 and followed up in 2005, play maps were created for residents of four generations. In exploring historical changes in the town that have affected the play of children, we found many unwelcome patterns of change that have the effect of decreasing nature spaces, limiting communication between children, and even decreasing children's play outdoors. On a positive note, this action research illustrated an effective approach for engaging people of different generations and encouraging them to pay more attention to environmental changes that have an impact on children's play and to take actions to improve the neighborhood for and with children. This paper is meant to contribute to our understanding of children's environment issues, an area that has roots in several disciplines, including human development, environmental psychology, geography, urban planning, architecture, and landscape architecture.