Bell, S., C. Ward Thompson & P. Travlou, 2003, Contested views of freedom and control children, teenagers, and urban fringe, in: Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, ,
- Author : Bell, S., C. Ward Thompson & P. Travlou
- Year : 2003
- Journal/Series : Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
- Pages : 87-100
- Abstract in English : Use of informal greenspace, such as urban fringe woodlands, by children and teenagers is potentially an important aspect of their development allowing opportunities for free play and for experiencing nature at close quarters. The ways in which children and teenagers make use of woodlands can be classes as either positive (use) or negative (abuse) by landowners, managers and by different groups of children and teenagers themselves. The experience of planners, designers and managers of urban and urban-fringe woodlands in Britain is that there is a lack of United Kindom-based research on the role of childhood experience in relation to adult use of natural areas as woodlands. The research project sought to answers four basic questions: 1. How important is woodland use to local people? What proportion of the population and which segments of the population use woodlands? 2. Which woodlands do people choose to use or abuse? What do they do? How do people use woodlands and what counts as use or abuse? 3. Why do they choose these woodlands; are there some characteristics, which determine woodlands people choose to use or abuse? Do communities with different characteristics choose different types of woodlands? What are the design and management implications for woodland and forest managers? The main conclusion may be: It is important for children and teenagers to be able to use and explore woodlands. The data collected underline the key role that childhood experience plays in people’s relationship with place and supports recent work of other research, that has arrived a similar conclusions about the vividness with which childhood experience of outdoor play is remembered and the importance of woodland activities as child on predicting positive attitudes to nature and woodlands as an adult.
- Comments/Notes : KEYWORDS: urban forestry; urban woodlands, urban fringe, children, teenagers, adolescences, freedom, behaviour, play, vandalism.