Child-friendly City Research Articles

Child friendliness of rural school travel road: Improvement strategies based on rural children's perception

IntroductionIn the process of building child-friendly cities, scholars have conducted extensive research on the appropriateness of urban facilities for children in urban regions, while less attention has been paid to rural areas with large numbers of children. This study attempts to explore the friendly planning and design of rural school travel roads from the perspective of children's perception of the current environment. MethodsSixteen school route assessment indices were summarized into four categories: road characteristics (width, pavement type, maintenance, and cleanliness), basic services (sidewalks, non-motorized lanes, recreational facilities, street lights, shops), traffic safety features (traffic signals, crosswalks, speed bumps, slow/speed limit signs, traffic volume), and aesthetic elements (street trees, landscape pieces). Through a face-to-face questionnaire survey of students in 28 rural schools, 992 valid questionnaires were obtained. Then sixteen microscopic road environment indicators were classified by the IPA model, and on this basis, the TOPSIS model was used to prioritize the contents in the improvement area. ResultsThere were differences between the children's perception of the importance and satisfaction of the rural school travel environment, and the actual situation of each indicator did not reach the expected level. The priority of the five environmental factors needing improvement were sidewalks > crosswalks > slow/speed limit signs > traffic signals > speed bumps. ConclusionsInterventions should be considered from the perspective of children's perception, which can provide a reference for the optimization and upgrading of rural roads, and for the theory and practice of the further construction of child-friendly villages.

도시 배경의 아동문학에 관한 연구

This article examines children’s life in the city in Ruth Sawyer’s Roller Skates in light of New Historicism. It understands the literature on the connection between texts and their historical contexts. Its critics are interested in power, gender, race and socially marginalized people in texts. Focusing on interpreting the social, cultural and political factors in the text through the lens of New Criticism helps readers understand better the author’s intention. Traditionally, children’s literature has not paid attention to urban as the setting for child characters’ play and activities with hygiene problems and air pollution. Roller Skates, set in New York in the late 19th century, describes Lucinda Wyman’s city adventure on roller skates. The city already became a multicultural society with the increasing immigrants. Lucinda befriends with her neighbours and her empathy eventually enhances multicultural competence. The novel implies that a child-friendly city can be a good city for the citizen. This study suggests that using the environment is more important than the simple division between rural and urban.

Kewenangan Pemerintah Kota Ambon Terhadap Anak Korban Eksploitasi Ekonomi

The authority of the Ambon city government over child victims of economic exploitation is urgently needed, given that children are the next generation of the nation and state that must always be protected, and their growth and development is paid attention to with the rights they have which have been regulated in the Laws and Regulations. The purpose of this study was to find out and understand how the authority of the Ambon City Government for Children Victims of Economic Exploitation is in accordance with Legislation and what forms of legal protection for children who are victims of economic exploitation. The research method used is normative legal research method and is analyzed qualitatively. The results and discussion show that the Ambon City Regional Government is based on the provisions of Article 20 and Article 21 paragraph (1) to (4) of Law Number 35 of 2014 concerning Child Protection and the provisions of Article 23 paragraph (4) of Ambon City Regional Regulation Number 1 of 2019 Concerning the Implementation of Child Friendly Cities, has authority over the implementation of Child Protection, respects the fulfillment of Children's Rights, guarantees the fulfillment of Children's Rights and is responsible for formulating and implementing policies in the field of implementing Child Protection. Authority Regional Government Against Children according to Law Number 35 of 2014 concerning Child Protection includes the obligations and responsibilities of the Regional Government. However, in the Ambon City Regional Government Regulation which specifically regulates the implementation of Means of Fulfilling Legal Protection Rights for children, it does not give law enforcement authority to the Regional Government against the perpetrators.

Gun violence and the voices of youth on community safety in the time of COVID-19 in East Harlem, NY: a youth participatory action research cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe USA has failed to codify the protection of children from gun violence (GV) as a human right. This study employs a youth participatory action research methodology, within the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), to investigate the relationships between GV exposure, self-identified gender and perceptions of children’s rights and safety.MethodsAn anonymous survey based on UNICEF USA’s Child Friendly Cities Initiative interactive survey tool targeting adolescents was modified by East Harlem, New York high school student co-researchers in collaboration with near-peer graduate students. The 61-question survey was administered at an East Harlem high school. Analysis consisted of univariate, bivariate and logistic regression using SPSS®.ResultsA total of 153 students completed the survey: 48.4% self-identified as male and 45.8% as female. Thirty-five percent reported witnessing GV. Most (79.1%) were aware of child rights regardless of gender or GV exposure but there were differences in perceptions of safety. Fifteen percent of females reported never feeling safe at school compared to 3% of males (p = 0.01). Females were 2.2 times as likely as males to report transportation waiting areas as never safe (p = 0.008). Almost a third of females reported never feeling safe from sexual harassment in public, compared to 10% of males (p = 0.004). In multivariable logistic regression adjusted for gender, race/ethnicity and grade level, students who witnessed GV were 4.6 times more likely to report never feeling safe from violence (95% CI 1.7–12.4). Thirty percent of students who witnessed GV reported not attending school because of safety concerns. Students who witnessed GV had 2.2 times the odds of carrying a weapon to school (95% CI 1.1–4.5). These patterns continued for other perceptions of safety.ConclusionsThe students in this study affirmed their rights to participate and express their views on matters that may affect them, as articulated in the UNCRC. The study revealed differences in perceptions of safety by self-identified gender and identified gun violence as a major contributor of youth’s perception of lack of safety. The study evinces the efficacy of employing YPAR methodology to identify and answer youth concerns of community safety and prioritize honoring child rights.

Tata Kelola Kota Layak Anak: Sebuah Analisis Bibliometrik

This study aims to analyze the scientific literature on child-friendly city governance using the Bibliometric Analysis framework. Analysis using VOSviewer software version 1.6.19 with database from Google Scholar. The search for articles uses Publish or Perish software version 8, assisted by the Mendeley Desktop software version 1.19.8 in completing the article data. The keywords used in the search were "governance" and "child-friendly cities." By using these keywords, 307 article documents obtain. The articles were sorted and eliminated in two stages, resulting in 29 documents. Furthermore, literature analysis carries out in four parts: publication analysis, institutional contribution analysis, citation analysis, and keyword analysis. In general, the results show that in recent years there has been an increase in the scientific literature on the theme of child-friendly urban governance. However, these articles and annual citations still need to be higher. In addition, published articles can group into five clusters of research themes.

Agility Governance in Implementing Child Friendly Cities in Pekanbaru City in the Special Protection Cluster

Through the Child Friendly City (KLA) program in the special protection cluster, this study sought to assess the function and agility of the Pekanbaru City government from the perspective of agility governance. It also sought to identify the factors that support the Child Friendly City (KLA) program's implementation in the special protection cluster. In this study, the methods for gathering data were observation, interviews, and documentation. The research was qualitative with a descriptive approach, which involved explaining the research's findings, delving into them to determine how they were arrived at, and drawing conclusions. According to Dowdy & Rieckhoff, the indicators of agile governance theory are Strategy, Structure, Process, and Human Resources, and they are used to provide answers to issue formulation. Because the output of this program is awards, the researchers also looked at the supporting factors for the operation of the program and determined that all indicators on program dexterity measurement have been met. The results of the analysis based on each of the program's dexterity measurement indicators show that the results obtained from the agility governance of the implementation of the Child Friendly Cities program for special protection are agile in their implementation

Community Satisfaction Analysis Based on Physical Quality of Green Open Space in Takengon (Case Study: Taman Aman Dimot)

The increasing number of human populations causes the density of development that continues to occur. This is done to ensure that the development carried out no longer damages’ nature. One of them is by creating Green Open Space (RTH) or Green Open Space, especially in big cities. In Takengon City, the government wants to make Takengon City a child-friendly city, a healthy city, and a livable city. The purpose of this study is to analyze the level of public satisfaction with Green Open Space in Taman Aman Dimot. The type of research used in this study is descriptive research with quantitative and qualitative approaches. The results of the study, among others, are; (1) Park sociability aims to analyze supporting facilities that support opportunities to socialize with two indicators, namely opportunities to socialize and the environment, (2) comfort is one of the factors for city parks to measure park visitor satisfaction, (3) park visitors, such as the condition of facilities and the number of facilities and cleanliness of the park are the reasons for visitors to be less comfortable, (4) maintenance of park cleanliness is key in the management process park, (5) criteria that become the next category, namely Park Infrastructure, facilities contained in the park such as seating facilities, sports equipment, the condition of facilities and other supporting facilities are very poor, and (6) the criteria for a comfortable park according to visitors in general such as the cleanliness of the park, the amount of vegetation (trees) and complete and well-maintained facilities are the opinions of visitors to give the impression of comfort.

Implementation Of Child-Friendly City Policy In Karawang City, West Java: Supporting Early Childhood Creative Play Acrivities

SSince the birth of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the resulting "A World Fit For Children", the world community began to work together to create a child-friendly environment. Indonesia issued the Child-Friendly Regency / City (KLA) program as a policy for each district/city in Indonesia to ensure that the fulfilment of children's rights and protection is carried out in a planned and systematic manner to achieve a Child-Friendly Indonesia. One of the problems stated in the 2021 Karawang district RPJMD is that the implementation of KLA has not been optimized. Even so, Karawang City received an intermediate rank in KLA implementation in 2019. The purpose of this study is to see whether the implementation of KLA policies supports the implementation of creative play activities in Early Childhood Education. Using the literature review method, collecting data from various sources and interviews with employees of the Office of Empowerment and Protection and documentation, it can be concluded that the implementation of KLA in Karawang City is still being optimized both in budget priorities and also socialization of KLA to the wider community in Karawang City.

PENDEKATAN ARSITEKTUR PERILAKU PADA PERANCANGAN MADU PLAYHOUSE UBUD BALI

Children's learning ability, driven by the child's willingness to learn. This willingness is supported by a safe and comfortable space to explore, such as a Child Friendly City. In realizing a Child Friendly City, it is necessary to have Child Friendly Schools. Behavioral architecture approach will help assess a child's growth-learning space that is comfortable and safe. The purpose of this study was to examine the Design of Honey Playhouse, a Waldorf School in Ubud Bali, as well as the benefits of social or practical values, namely child-friendly design and learning methods. The theory used is Behavioral Architecture, and the Waldorf Learning Method. This study uses a qualitative approach. The collection technique was carried out by interviews, field observations, and online and offline documentation. The results showed that the behavioral architectural approach was carried out from the design concept to the finalization of the design, which in the end the school design grew together with school students.

CAPACITY OF THE CHILD FORUM IN ADVOCATING CHILD INTERESTS IN THE CHILD-FRIENDLY CITY PROGRAM IN PADANG CITY

This research was conducted with the aim of knowing the capacity of the children's forum in advocating for children's interests in the child-friendly city program in Padang City, as well as the obstacles and constraints experienced by the children's forum in advocating for children's interests in the child-friendly city program in Padang City. This research was conducted using a descriptive qualitative research method. The results showed that the advocacy activities carried out by FORANDANG were socialization of child rights and protection, child rights and protection campaigns, FGDs about fulfilling children's rights and protection, as well as hearings about fulfilling children's rights and protection. The results showed that, FORANDANG did not yet have the capacity to advocate the interests of children in the KLA program, because there are still several categories that have not been fulfilled, such as human resource capacity, financial capacity, and network and relationship capacity. Meanwhile, in terms of carrying out advocacy activities, several obstacles were found, such as a lack of human resources, insufficient funds and difficulty obtaining permits to carry out activities.

Comparative study scent quality or smells, cleanliness and beauty to RPTRA user satisfaction in Denpasar City

Open space is created to socialize with other humans. One of the existing open spaces, there is a Child-Friendly Integrated Public Space (RPTRA) as one of the programs to create a child-friendly city. The existence of this RPTRA helps the people in Denpasar City in carrying out activities in open spaces such as sports, children's play, education and as a green space because in the RPTRA there is greenery. This RPTRA is located in the center of Denpasar City so it is easy to reach by the community. This research was conducted to compare whether or not there is a difference between the two RPTRAs based on the comfort of the smell or smell, cleanliness and beauty from the user's point of view of each RPTRA, because one of these RPTRAs, namely the Lumintang Traffic Park RPTRA, has a TPS (Temporary Garbage Disposal Site) which is located approximately 100 meters from the RPTRA. With the research method used, namely the quantitative research method by distributing questionnaires to the people who are active in each RPTRA, it is found that the RPTRA Traffic Park has a lower percentage level of comfort compared to RPTRA Janggan Park. This is due to the fact that the temporary garbage dumps are located not far from the Taman Traffic RPTRA with the condition that waste often accumulates, which is the main factor for the discomfort of the people who are active in this RPTRA.

Age-Friendly Cities in Latin America: A Human Ecological Framework.

Despite the demographic aging of Latin America, the uptake of the WHO's Age-Friendly Cities Framework remains extremely low, with the notable exceptions of Chile, Mexico and Brazil. We argue for a broader human ecological framework, which focuses on the macro, meso and micro levels, to better address the context, challenges and opportunities for age-friendly cities in the Latin American region. The WHO's age-friendly city domains are primarily at the meso (community) scale, with a focus on built environment, services and participation. We call for more attention to be paid to the macro policy scale to address concerns regarding migration, demography and social policy context. More attention also should be given to the micro scale to recognize the critical role of family and informal care supports. It is possible that the WHO domains are the result of a design bias, with Global North settings in mind for their development. We find the domains of UNICEF's Child-Friendly Cities Initiative, which give more attention to the realities of the Global South, helpful to broaden the WHO's Age-Friendly Cities Framework.

A Tracer Study on Child Participation in Child Councillor Programmes Aimed towards Development of the Child Friendly Cities Initiative

The Child Friendly Cities Initiative introduced by UNICEF aims to help local governments realise child rights by utilising the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as its foundation. Using Lundy’s model of child participation, which focuses on spaces, voice, audience, and influence, this study assesses young people’s participation as child councillors in two programmes in one city in Malaysia. Ten young people who were former child councillors in one state in Malaysia participated in this study. This study employed thematic analysis in analysing the data obtained using focus groups. Based on the data presented, it was clear that adult (the responsible party) understanding of meaningful child participation is still weak. This study offers substantial contributions to the limited body of literature on child participation in Malaysia by focusing on the difficulties of former child councillors in engaging in meaningful participation. Thus, more efforts (for example, by using participatory methods) are needed to educate the responsible party on the importance of addressing the power dynamic between children and adults so that children can participate effectively in decision-making processes.

Using child-friendly city principles to improve dilapidated neighbourhoods, Tehran, Iran

Tehran's urban management approach has changed from large- to small-scale projects due to increased semi-finished projects and budget shortages. The goal was to change the concept of ‘city as a site of permanent construction’ to ‘neighbourhoods' improvement’, through which citizens can experience tranquility and stability. There is a growing concern about children being exposed to different urban problems. Attempting to address their essential needs in public places has led the municipality to improve dilapidated neighbourhoods, focusing on child-friendly small-scale projects. This study analyses the success of a project named ‘colourful alley’ in the Dastgheib neighbourhood of Tehran. After reviewing the related literature, a questionnaire was designed based on a conceptual model to determine inhabitants' perceptions. The data analysis included a Friedman test ranking the project's successful aspects, with a correlation test identifying the impacts of improving one dimension over the other. The results show a positive response among inhabitants. The analysis criteria included five successful aspects of collective memory, identity, livability, presence, and distinction. The results confirmed that improving visual-perceptual criteria has a direct and strong correlation with improving social or procedural criteria. In fact, child-friendly city principles can be deemed as catalysts for enhancing poor neighbourhoods.

Design considerations in the activation of a temporary playspace for children and families: perspectives of council, architects and designers

ABSTRACT Child-friendly cities are places that support opportunities for children’s play and community connection in safe urban environments. A dominant practice in urban planning and design has been to separate people and their activities spatially (i.e., residential zones, learning zones, play zones) and this coincided with the remaking of cities around private vehicular travel which together necessitated carving out safe spaces for children play. This has meant that children’s play has been geared towards permanent equipment in fenced-off playgrounds or more formal educational settings. However, the inclusion of temporary play spaces in cities to support community engagement in the local environment is growing to combine urban design, play and community wellbeing initiatives. This paper documents the experiences of stakeholders of a temporary play space in an inner-city suburb of an Australian city. This work includes key perspectives of the architects and designers and local council members to evaluate how a 12-week activation of a temporary play space came into being and what can be learnt from this collaboration.

Progress in Reducing Indoor Tobacco Smoke Pollution Toward the Establishment of Kabupaten/Kota Layak Anak: Evidence From the 2012 and 2017 Indonesia Demographic and Health Surveys

In 2017, only about 26.68 percent of Indonesian households were smoke-free. Previous research established a relationship between the health of children under five and indoor tobacco smoke pollution. According to Presidential Regulation 25 of 2021, some indicators that should be met for establishing a child-friendly city/ regency (KLA) are the child's rights to health and family environment. Data from the Indonesia Demographic and Health Surveys (IDHS) 2012 and 2017 assessed progress toward smoke-free homes by evaluating the interaction between child age and indoor tobacco smoking at the urban-rural area and regional levels. T-test analysis was used to determine the statistical significance. Findings revealed a higher prevalence of indoor tobacco smoking in rural areas. Over time, the prevalence of indoor tobacco smoking in Indonesian rural areas decreased by 0.84 percent. There was no significant reduction in Kalimantan, Nusa Tenggara, or Maluku-Papua. Furthermore, Sulawesi experienced a significant increase of approximately 4.54 percent. From 2012 to 2017, the prevalence of indoor tobacco smoking was higher in households with children under five, home crowding, poor households, and households with a low education household head. Therefore, interventions should focus on rural areas. City/regency governments in Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Nusa Tenggara, and Maluku-Papua should be more concerned about indoor tobacco smoke pollution. Raising family awareness about the dangers of indoor tobacco smoke pollution could be targeted at households with children under the age of five, overcrowded households, low-income households, and households with a low-education household head.

THE RIGHT TO SPECIAL PROTECTION FOR CHILDREN FACING THE LAW IN TERNATE CITY

This research examines the intersection of children's rights and the provision of special protections for minors involved in legal proceedings, specifically focusing on children who are offenders. The study is motivated by the heightened vulnerability of children to human rights violations when they engage with the criminal justice system. Employing an empirical juridical or sociological legal research method, this work scrutinizes both the relevant legal frameworks and their real-world application. Through a combined sociological juridical and statutory approach, the research evaluates all regulations pertinent to the legal issues at hand. Data were analyzed using descriptive and qualitative methods, alongside deductive and inductive reasoning to reach conclusions. The findings reveal that the enforcement of special protection rights for child offenders by both law enforcement agencies and the Ternate City Regional Government falls short of expectations. Despite some cases being addressed through restorative justice measures, there remains significant room for improvement. Efforts by the Ternate City Regional Government to meet the rights of child offenders and advance its status as a Child-Friendly City—including the provision of facilities and services tailored to the needs of child offenders such as specialized detention cells, recreational activities, social advocacy, and access to education, health care, and religious services—are hindered by both internal and external challenges. These include the absence of a Regional Regulation on Child Protection to serve as a legal foundation at the regional level, a lack of rehabilitation facilities for children with substance abuse issues, and a general lack of public awareness and understanding regarding the principles of restorative justice, which prioritize the best interests of the child.

Making child-friendly cities: A socio-spatial literature review

With more than one-third of children worldwide living in urban areas, the call for child-friendly cities (CFC) has increased in urgency; however, many cities are still largely unfriendly to children. This paper uses a systematic literature review and bibliometric tool to identify papers from Scopus between 2001 and 2020. It reviews the existing knowledge and gaps about child-friendliness within the sphere of socio-spatial urban planning. The findings reveal a three-dimensional perspective of the concept of child-friendly cities: rights, physical environment, and governance. Moreover, it shows that existing knowledge appears rather limited in its explanation of the governance processes that lead to translating children's rights into suitable physical environments. In the conclusions, a research avenue is proposed to close the existing gaps that can contribute to achieving CFC.

STRATEGI PEMERINTAH KOTA AMBON DALAM MEWUJUDKAN KOTA LAYAK ANAK

The results of the study show that Ambon City has received the title of a Primary Child-friendly City in Makassar in 2019 and also has a legal basis which is the Regional Regulation Number 1 of 2019 concerning Child-friendly Cities. Based on this, one of the ways to create a child-friendly city according to Kooten's theory in Salusu (1996: 104) are through 4 strategies, namely: a) Organizational strategy, b) Program strategy, c) Supporting resource strategy, and d) Institutional strategy. The methodology used in this study is qualitative with primary and secondary data. Data collection techniques used are interview, observation, and documentation techniques. The results reveal that even though Ambon City has had the label of Primary Child-friendly City, the Disability-friendly public facilities are still not adequate yet. Besides, there is no child-friendly integrated public spaces that exist in Ambon City.

The city from the point of view of children: social inequalities in representing and using urban public spaces

This paper was written under the research project CRiCity: “Children and their Right to the City: Tackling urban inequity through the participatory design of child-friendly cities” developed in Lisbon and Porto and funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through national funds (PTDC/SOC-SOC/30415/2017). We focus on two case-studies developed in Porto. Our aim is to present some of the findings of the focus groups and drawing activities developed with children in two institutions. During this research, it was evident that children from middle and high classes are more subjected to institutionalization, domestication and hyper-protection processes than those from lower social classes. Also, we conclude that the phenomena of insularization and specialization contributes to aggravating restrictions on public spaces by producing forms of socio-spatial segregation depending not only on age, but also on class and social status.