ALYSE KNAPE // 759021 CITIES:LOCAL TO GLOBAL SEM 1, 2017
CHILDREN’S INDEPENDENT MOBILITY CREATING A CHILD-FRIENDLY MOONEE VALLEY
“Independent Mobility is an important factor in the health, physical, social and mental development of children and Children’s Independent Mobility (CIM) is declining”1. The thoroughfare at Keilor Rd limits this area to a private-vehicle accessed place and insufficient public transport in Moonee Valley further impacts children’s ability to develop independent mobility2. Moonee Valley Council has the opportunity to create child-friendly provisions in Essendon North by following a precedent of best practice in the creation of a child friendly city in Spangen, Rotterdam in order to improve CIM and enhance the liveabilty of the municipality.
CHILD-FRIENDLY ROTTERDAM
“If you design places that work well for children, they tend to work well for everyone” 3
Safety & Mobility
Figure 1:
Dangerous crossings adjusted12
Threshold Zone; planting, seating and play in liminal spaces12 Figure 2:
Promotion, Information & Participation
Atmosphere & Perception
Use & Identity of Route
THRESHOLD ZONE
PATH
THRESHOLD ZONE
Figure 3:
Information to promote public particpation12
Greener street scapes12
Figure 4:
PAVEMENT PAVEMENT
Spangen, a district of Rotterdam, Netherlands, developed the ‘Child-Friendly Ring’ in response to rapid decline in the number of families living in the city. Spatial relationships between primary schools, child-related activities and public space were anlalysed in Spangen to highlight stengths and weaknesses of the neighbourhood9.
The willingness of all
residents to participate in an
autonomous district to provide a child-friendly Essendon North will determine it’s success or failure in the dissemination of this programme11.
ACHIEVING A CHILD-FRIENDLY ESSENDON NORTH Currently, Essendon North does not promote or accommodate for CIM. Planning for the future of Moonee Valley must consider active
transport methods including public transport, walk-ability and cycle-ability to allow its children to develop independent mobility. Developing a child-friendly route at this neighbourhood level will create positive impacts for parents and the wider community and foster a more ‘resilient city’ . 14
Analysis of Essendon North’s spatial relationships: SCHOOL SCHOOL SQUARE PLAYGROUND OPEN SPACE
“People want SLOWER
TRAFFIC and
SAFER STREETS for children to play” This will allow children to ‘GAIN WIDER ACCESS to the city”
5
6
SPORT CLUB
300M RADIUS
12% of residents in Keilor Rd / Essendon North have poor access, and 57% have moderate access to public transport . and 15
thus, ‘Residents are inclined
to use private
vehicles in Moonee Valley,’
, significantly
16
impacting CIM.
ESSENDON NORTH
42% OF KINDER STUDENTS, 18% OF PRIMARY AND 15% OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS DO
NOT WALK AS
PART OF THEIR COMMUTE7.
Works Cited: 1. Childfriendly Ring Spangen, Rotterdam. (2011). Rotterdam City. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chzh4fuoyGk 2. Freeman, C., & Tranter, P. (2011). Accessing Space: Mobility. In Children and Their Urban Environments: Changing Worlds (pp. 181-202). London: Earthscan. 3. City of Moonee Valley,. (2017b). Your Neighbourhood Snapshot: Keilor Rd/Essendon North. Moonee Valley: Moonee Valley City Council. (Pg. 3). 4. De Werff Architecture. (2010). Child-friendly Neighbourhood Spangen. Retrieved from http://www.dewerff.nl/ 5. Giles-Corti, B., Badland, H., Foster, S., Mavoa, s., Whitzman,C., & Turrell,G. (2014). Healthy Cities in J.Byrne, N. Sipe, & J.Dodson (Eds.), Australian Environmental Planning: Challenges and future prospects (pp. 182-196). London: Routledge 6. Shaw, B., Bicket, M., Elliot, B., Fagan-Watson, B., Motta, E., & Hillman, M. (2015). Children’s Independent Mobility: an international comparison and recommendations for action. Policy Studies Institute. (Pg. 54). 7. Freeman & Tranter, (2011), Pg.182.8. City of Moonee Valley,. (2017a). Moonee Valley Next Generation 2035, Community Vision. Moonee Valley: City of Moonee Valley Council. (Pg. 8).9. City of Moonee Valley,. (2017b). (Pg. 5)10. Freeman & Tranter, (2011), Pg. 181. 11. Childfriendly Ring Spangen, Rotterdam (2011).12 City of Moonee Valley (2017c). Moonee Valley Background Paper. Moonee Valley: Moonee Valley City Council (Pg. 22).13. Childfriendly Ring Spangen, Rotterdam. (2011).
16,500 VEHICLES TRAVEL KEILOR RD ON THE AVERAGE WEEKDAY . 8
In Child-Friendly Cities, children become more visible and take
more care of their surroundings. This enhances the liveability of the municipality’; children can play, wander and live
safely
13.