Louise Chawla (2002), Growing up in an Urbanizing World

As the world continues to urbanize, Growing up in an Urbanizing World still remains an extremely relevant text almost a decade after it was first published.Recent reports from the United Nations ' Population Division (2009) show that 3.4bn or half of the world's population now reside in urban areas and 50% of these populations are made up of children.A majority of these children live at the intersections of poverty, rapid urban change, lack of basic services, traditional values, and global trends.The authors in this book embark on engaging children in deeply participatory processes to understand their complex relationships to the places where they live and to improve urban conditions by bringing children's voices to the adult centric arena of urban planning and development.2 Kevin Lynch, a visionary urban planner, started a research project called 'Growing Up in Cities' in the 1970's with the support of UNESCO to better understand how cities contribute towards the overall development of children.This project took place in four working class neighborhoods in Poland, Argentina, Australia, and Mexico and revealed how urban issues such as increased traffic, urban crime, social stigma, and lack of adequate play resources -issues that are still very relevant today -affect children's daily lives.The project stood out for its simplicity in design and ability to adapt to a variety of sites.While Lynch expected his research to gain popularity and be replicated in many parts of the world -specifically low-income areas in developing countries -it was not to be.Almost 20 years later, in a world more aware of children's rights and Louise Chawla (2002), Growing up in an Urbanizing World Carnets de géographes, 3 | 2011

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-ND

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