Poorly Planned High Density Can Impair Child Development

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald describes how children living in apartments have poor motor and social skills The article is based in part on the research report Children in the Compact City: Fairfield as a Suburban Case Study prepared by Bill Randolph of the University of New South Wales. The report describes how higher-density living can reduce the opportunities for children to play outside. The lack of suitable places for active play, the lack of possibility of visual supervision, and the social isolation caused by these and other barriers to social interactions with other children all contribute to the lower motor and social skills.

This is not particularly new; Christopher Alexander has often discussed the four-storey limit supported by multiple studies showing that any more has impact on the mental health of residents, and decried that outdoor open spaces are merely "left over" between buildings. Only a few enlightened architects and urban designers create child-scaled features, and children are relegated to sterile playgrounds designed by others, rather than being full independent users of public space.

Tags: Urban Planning

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