This paper explores the relationship between parents’ sense of belonging and their children’s independent mobility. We found that parental satisfaction with their living environment can be influenced by their sense of belonging, ultimately creating a community with more independent children.
Share
Target audience
City planners, Urban designers and Public health authorities plus their practitioners
The problem
Various factors determine the ability of children to roam independently. Reviewing previous studies, we found past research has mainly focused on the impact of the physical environment on children’s independent mobility. However, giving attention to how social issues and individuals’ perceptions affect a child’s independent mobility is essential.
What we did and why
To evaluate the role of parents’ sense of belonging as social capital in children’s independent mobility, we assessed their correlation considering parents’ neighborhood satisfaction as a mediator.
Our study’s contribution
We evaluated the direct and indirect effects of parents’ sense of belonging and children’s independent mobility license. The results indicated:
• Sense of belonging did not have a direct impact on children’s independent mobility license.
• Sense of belonging could indirectly affect children’s independent mobility license by affecting parents’ perceptions regarding their living environment.
• Parents’ age and sex and their length of residency affected their sense of belonging.
• Children’s sex and age affected children’s independent mobility license.We found a positive correlation between parents’ sense of belonging and neighborhood satisfaction, leading to increased children’s independent mobility license. In this regard, policymakers should take specific actions:
• Creating public spaces that are welcoming and encourage social interaction
• Taking into account how parents perceive their neighborhoods when implementing policies
• Considering residents’ social and cultural norms in the planning process
Impacts for city policy and practice
We found a positive correlation between parents’ sense of belonging and neighborhood satisfaction, leading to increased children’s independent mobility license. In this regard, policymakers should take specific actions:
• Creating public spaces that are welcoming and encourage social interaction
• Taking into account how parents perceive their neighborhoods when implementing policies
• Considering residents’ social and cultural norms in the planning process
Further information
Outdoorplay Canada: for case studies
CLIMB (Children’s independent mobility): for supportive actions
Full research article:
Sense of belonging, neighborhood satisfaction, and children’s independent mobility license: a case study of Qom, Iran by Milad Asadi and Nasrin Heidari-Ghezeljeh.
Related posts
Urban design and planning, and associated policies, must enable and support a collective adaptation to climate change by responding to local needs. These needs can be identified through an urban comfort lens considering sociocultural preferences and needs which must inform urban design and planning practice.
Insights into life conditions of residents in social housing in Medellin, Colombia to contribute to the planning and management of healthier housing using a novel
This study measured the effectiveness of stepping stones as an element of landscape design – to make walking a more effective form of exercise for health. The average increase in heart rate due to steppingstones was 17.22%. In conclusion, we estimate that stepping stones can significantly increase peoples metabolic and physiological parameters, and can help the wider population to achieve the recommended government and health guidelines of ‘moderate exercise’ of 150 min/week, improving population health. This new evidence can help designers to implement ‘Active Urbanism’ strategies.