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Essay Question

CHILDREN AND THE CITY 

QUESTION

You believe that there are special ways that would allow children to uniquely benefit from the richness of the city in which you live. What is your best idea? Describe your thoughts in the form of a proposal that would persuade the city to agree to accept and help pay for the idea.

DISCUSSION

In industrialized countries, a half to three-quarters of all children live in urban areas; in the developing world, the majority of children and youth will be urban in the next few decades. Whether huge urban metropolises or more quiet regional outposts, cities offer children today a complex arena for learning about the world.

Depending on to whom you ask, this is either the best of times or the worst of times for these children. There are negative factors such as hunger, poverty, lack of shelter, burgeoning and dangerous traffic, little access to public transportation, isolated open space if it exists at all, and a general perception (not necessarily empirical) of increased danger. It is clear that many children are at risk. 

These minuses are balanced by positive signs such as increased cultural programs directed at children, creation of secure (if not somewhat antiseptic) environments specifically directed at children and their families, the resurgence of the neighborhood as a focus for urban planning, and a general atmosphere of unlimited opportunities to explore and discover the world at earlier and earlier ages. Not all children are at risk, except perhaps from the lack of spontaneity. 

Against this confusing backdrop, the Berkeley Prize this year asks you to both develop a practicable idea for making cities children-friendly and then, to describe that idea verbally in a way that would convince a probably skeptical general population that the idea needs to be and should be realized. 

As you develop your idea you will first want to explore the universe of organizations and programs throughout the world already attempting to confront these same issues. We have assembled a preliminary list of some of these groups. Their websites will give you a perspective on the problems and potentials in dealing with children and the city. (See list below and use the links!) There are certainly other sites you might want to explore, particularly of locally-based organizations in your city. 

Your idea should be based on this research. If possible, get out and see first-hand what is happening in these programs. Talk to your "clients", the children who might use your idea, and find out what they are thinking. Your "proposal" should also answer a number of specific questions, including but not necessarily limited to: 

Where and how will your idea be located and experienced?
How many children will be served and the range of their ages?
What will be provided that is not provided already?
What do you believe will be achieved by what is provided? What is its value and benefit?
Who in you city will most likely support your idea and how would you harness their energy?

If there is to be a built component to your idea - and there might or might not be - describe it so that others can easily imagine what you have in mind. Without attempting to cost your idea, explain why you think it might be a "reasonable" expenditure. Finally, tell us and the world about your personal motivation for your idea: in architecture, as in most creative disciplines, the best ideas come from both the mind...and the heart.

INTERNATIONAL CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS