Few people ask children what they think of public space. Traditionally, adults will make choices for children, especially their way of life and entertainment.
In an unpublished study* representing local councils, we asked 75 children between the ages of 7 and 12 in 10 primary schools in Sydney’s impoverished areas to make maps to understand their local value. Children use iPad to fix the image of their choice to a specific location on the digital map of the local government area. Some of their choices may surprise you.
The location of the selected children shows the importance of sharing decision-making power to them. A nine-year-old boy placed a picture of a local supermarket on the map, explaining why he chose “grocery shopping” because he could “spend some time with my mother and help decide what is in our trolley.”
Children often draw pictures of leisure places, such as parks, swimming pools, and community centers, which are usually used during school hours when adults usually have the greatest authority over children. Here, children have greater autonomy to be decision makers and exercise institutions. While mapping his local park, a ten-year-old boy commented:
I can do what I want here, there are many different playthings to choose from.
Path to change and belonging
Some children choose to draw a school map as a way to change. They can imagine more alternative futures options. Observed an 11-year-old boy: The school will help me find a good job.
Others choose their school because it now provides them with opportunities. An eight-year-old girl gleamed around her school painting day and night, and then placed it on the map. She explained: … many good things can be done in school. To read the story, there is enough space and a larger play area. The children’s choices also reveal the importance of places that promote a sense of belonging and connect with others. A ten-year-old girl said when drawing her nature reserve: There is a lot of play space here, where I can make new friends. Similarly, an 11-year-old girl explained the importance of her community center: it was special because I had friends there. Contrary to the dominant story about ownership and identity, which left Australia’s aboriginal land ownership almost unrecognized, a ten-year-old indigenous girl used a map to draw an indigenous flag on her local park. She observed: This is our land, and my family and I are very happy here.
She claims that her claims in the local park can not only be said to be her own and her family’s property and identity, but can also be understood as referring to more aboriginal groups. By drawing a map of their own territory, the children expressed their cultural and community consciousness through images, words and stories, narrated their precious experiences and developed another description of the public space. Disadvantaged children are most dependent on what their urban environment provides. We are particularly keen to discover their opinions.
We find that many such children advocate not only for themselves but for their families. Being able to use citizen facilities for free or at the lowest cost is very important to their ability to make choices and to connect with others. Observed a 12-year-old girl: In order for us to do things like family, they must be free. A nine-year-old boy said: If there is free, we (as far as his family is concerned) can do it; if there is free, we can go elsewhere.
Longing for adventure and exploration
Adults are increasingly watching children and staying safe. Many children draw maps of places where they represent adventurers and explorers. They often associate their choices with mastery of skills. The urban space and bushes were repeatedly selected. In some cases, these areas are associated with “risk”, adventure and imagination. A ten-year-old boy who mapped the nature reserve explained:
That’s where I ride my motorcycle. You will see cows, pigs and horses, and I also saw a crocodile in the dam. A nine-year-old girl wrote when listing all the things she cherished on the drawing of the local swimming pool:
Teachers who have deep ends and slides, who are good at swimming, try swimming butterflies to improve. Her choice shows that children want to experience their abilities and abilities in an environment with risk factors.
Is there a high degree of dependence on digital maps? Children are in the digital age. In view of the power inequality between adults and children, digital maps help us minimize the intrusion of adults and invite children to show their spatial narratives.
Their age, socioeconomic status, race, and other factors that influence each other mean that certain children are more likely to hear their own opinions than others. Digital map technology provides a more inclusive method than traditional research methods. Digital maps give children the opportunity to add their perspectives to community planning, rather than just enhance the perspectives of adults. As local councils and planning departments have more and more interactions with children and they plan urban spaces, the views of all children (including disadvantaged children) need to be heard.
