CITIES FOR CHILDREN

WG 2: Housing & Outdoor Space

14-15/05/2009 Ghent

About Ghent

Overall Surface: 15.643 ha

Population: < 240.000 inhabitants• Growth/increase: + 2.500 since 2007 (+1,1%)• Slight female predominance (51,06 %)• 12 % immigrants• 67.000 youth 0-25 years (30 % of total population)• 60.000 students

About Ghent

Geographical:• Historical centre:

- Commercial- cultural

• 19th century belt- 40% of the children on

10% of the surface area- Issue of underprivileged

youth- Special attention

• Sub-urban:- More rural- Middle-class

Housing Policy: Housing Study

Some results:

People want to live in a child friendly city Provide more one-family houses More accomodations for students

Social Pedagogical meaning of the neighbourhood on children 3 questions:• relates to the way in which the construction of the neighbourhood influences

the learning opportunities offered to children • concerns the way in which children define their neighbourhood and how they

influence the construction of this environment • relates to the way in which developments in the neighbourhood help to shape

the meaning of childhood

Recognizing urban public space as a co-educator!

More info:Sven De Visscher, Dep. of Social Welfare Studies,

University of Ghent, Sven.DeVisscher@Ugent.be,

Phone: +32-9-264-62-91

Visits

Several parks and play areas… in relation to each other

Play Area Policy of Ghent

4 objectives:

Play Layer

Youth Participation

Integration in other policy-sectors/departments improves

Mutual communication

Play Area Policy of Ghent

Planning Group: intersectoral collaboration• Department of Urbanism & Environmental Planning• Parks & Public Gardens Department• Department for Mobility• Department for Education• The Department City-Policy• The Sports Department• The Youth Department

The chairmanship is in hands of the play area official (Youth Department).

Play Area Policy of Ghent

Larger network:

Play Area Policy of Ghent

Participation: general principles• Support of other sectors/partners• Participation-traject integrated in project-trajet

Designing a park

Urban Renual Project

Play Area Policy of Ghent

• Source: children & youngsters• Succession

Designing a park

Urban Renual Project

About schoolroutes

Designing a playground

Play Area Policy of Ghent

Participation: points of attention• Participative attitude of the supervisor• Correct information & communication• Translation of the results to policy • Intergenerational

Asking mothers

Doing things together

Visualise

‘Elastic methode’

Play Area Policy of Ghent

Manual ‘Playlayer in Ghent’

Play Area Policy of Ghent

Playlayer: a network of places & connections

• FORMAL PLAY GROUNDS1. Various types of play areas

• INFORMAL PLAY AREA2. Residential streets3. Squares4. Green area 5. Sports facilities6. Outdoor area at schools7. Outdoor area of other collective facilities8. Water

• CONNECTIONS9. Slow roads, bicycle or pedestrian routes, easy-paced road connections

Projects

Study ‘Adventurous Play & Build’

Scandinaviëstraat - Gent

Westerringspoor - Gent

‘De Timmerfabriek’

Projects

Playstreets

‘Slow Roades’

‘De Timmerfabriek’

Projects

Playable Art‘De Timmerfabriek’

Projects

Social Network‘De Timmerfabriek’

Discussions about:

But also about:

The different themes above

Benchmarking Mainstreams Legal bases Pilotprojects

And about:

Network(ing) Responsabilities Foundations (CF

policy, politics), cement (planning, behaviour)

and bricks (themes, projects)

Thank you