Child-Friendly Open Spaces: Comparative Analysis of Parks in Pune, India

Abstract: The vision of a good urban city is to design spaces livable for everyone. Every individual deserves to enjoy each space within the city. In India, 39% of the total population are children below 18 years. Planning of a city from the vantage point of a toddler is the best way to start. A child friendly city will include child friendly parks, streets, roads, and other public spaces. Children need to have easy access to local places away from home, where they can meet, interact and play with their friends. Parks and open spaces provide opportunities for children to learn about nature, each other and the world they live in. Parks are important spaces where children can explore, be active, relax, socialize, play and learn, which would eventually contribute to their development. This research paper focuses on child-friendly parks and how does these spaces contribute in early childhood development which includes physical, mental and social development. Earlier literature studied about dedicated open spaces for children inside the parks. This research would aim to study the parks holistically and how to make the entire park child-friendly. The focused age group is 3 – 10 years. The methodology followed is live case study along with activity mapping and photographic documentation. The selected case studies are parks in Pune, India namely Bhimale Udhyan- Bibewadi, Shivarkar Garden- Wanowrie and Anusaya Sabda Lonkar Garden-Kondhwa. Each case study has been studied on the parameters like furniture, light, color, texture on the basis of safety, accessibility, anthropometry, inclusiveness, and playfulness. The research concludes that child friendly green spaces has positive impact on a child’s development. The inferences from the research would help in designing child-friendly cities in future which will support healthier, safer and more exciting urban neighborhoods for young children, for those who care for them, and for everyone. Keywords: Child Friendly City, Public Spaces, Parks, Early Childhood Development