Sarah Goodyear examines the connection between the way we design our streets and the reluctance of parents to let their children play outdoors.
"More than a quarter of the 1,000 United Kingdom parents polled in a recent survey [commissioned by UK-based Playday] -- 28 percent -- said they feared letting their kids play outside because of 'intolerant attitudes' displayed by their neighbors," reports Goodyear.
"But fear of traffic was parents' top reason for keeping their kids in the house, with 53 percent naming it as an issue," she continues. "'Stranger danger,' or fear of abduction, was another concern. All these things are connected – the prevalence of cars, the distrust of strangers, the intolerance of normal childish behavior. And the Playday survey results gave some insight into the psychological vicious circle that keeps kids indoors in many neighborhoods around the world."
FULL STORY: No Kids Allowed: How Our Street Design Is Killing Play
Students Give Up Wheels for Their Own Two Feet
This piece from the New York Times looks at a program in Italy the encourages children to walk to school.
From 9-to-5 to Anytime: How Telecommuting Changes the Traffic Game
Not all cities have benefited equally from congestion relief brought on by shifting commuting patterns.
Lessons in Child-Friendly Cities From Europe
How parklets, open streets, and green spaces make cities safer and friendlier for children and families.
Seattle Legalizes Co-Living
A new state law requires all Washington cities to allow co-living facilities in areas zoned for multifamily housing.
NYC Officials Announce Broadway Pedestrianization Project
Two blocks of the marquee street will become mostly car-free public spaces.
The City of Broken Sidewalks
Can Los Angeles fix 4,000 miles of broken sidewalks before the city hosts the 2028 Olympic Games?
Minneapolis Awards Affordable Housing Funds
The city awarded over $17 million to affordable housing construction and rehabilitation projects.
Tall Vehicles: Unsafe at Any Speed
Vehicles with taller front-end designs are more likely to injure pedestrians even when traveling at lower speeds.
Commentary: Minimum Lot Sizes Drive Up Housing Costs
How making residential building requirements more flexible can ease the housing crisis and make neighborhoods more livable for more households.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
Village of Glen Ellyn
City of Laramie
American Planning Association, Sustainable Communities Division
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Cambridge, Maryland
Newport County Development Council: Connect Greater Newport
Rockdale County Board of Commissioners