Children in Four Neighborhoods

Since children spend most of their time close to home, the neighborhood environment affects their daily life activity patterns in a number of important ways. Based on research conducted in Oakland, California, this paper reports results of a survey comparing children's play patterns across neighborhoods of different social status, different terrains, different levels of access to play space, and different levels of municipally provided after-school services. The paper argues that few neighborhoods are designed with the needs of young people in mind. By examining how children's play patterns in four neighborhoods are constrained or facilitated by the terrain, by the availability of "managed" and "unmanaged" play space, and by play problems associated with questions of safety and mobility, it is possible to see how planning and land-use decisions affect the everyday experience of the young.