Bringing Kids and All Of Us Back to Reality

I recently took responsibility for a group of 7-8-year-old scouts (castor with “les Scouts d’Orléans”). I have been immersed in learning the new program, as I have never been involved at that level as an adult and have been out of the Scouts for a long time. I have been tangentially aware of the problems our kids face as a father of two kids (3 and 7), but I have not taken a deep dive into those issues until now. Of course, my mind immediately went to how our built environment affects these issues and the concrete actions that our community association can take to address them.

In his book “The Anxious Generation,” Jonathan Haidt laments the transition from a childhood spent in reality to one based in either highly controlled environments (such as home, school, or structured activities) or an uncontrolled virtual one. This transition has caused a rise in various mental health disorders. The highly controlled environments fail to stimulate kids in a way that allows them to learn how to live in society, as they do not teach them how to take risks, socialize, and explore the world. The uncontrolled virtual environment hijacks our kids’ nervous systems and reinforces antisocial behaviours. These problems are more focused in the anglosphere, where the life of children is more strictly controlled.

Some European cultures are less affected by those issues. In many European countries, kids have more freedom and independence than is available here in Canada. On his YouTube channel, Not Just Bikes, Jason Slaughter, a native of London, Ontario, has produced a good video explaining why he decided to move to the Netherlands. He argues that car-centric urban design is a significant factor in increasing the distance children need to travel to get to their friends’ places or other places where they can socialize, and it makes it more dangerous for them to do so. Luckily, the city’s plans for Convent Glen Orléans Wood would provide more active transportation infrastructure, which will hopefully make it safer for kids to travel. The increase in population density should also result in a higher density of kids, which will help ensure that kids are not alone at the park or in any other space where they can interact.

One problem that we will monitor as a community association is the quality and quantity of spaces where kids can interact. Our community is fortunate to have several playgrounds; however, the playgrounds we currently have are generally safe, which is a problem. These playgrounds don’t offer kids an opportunity to take risks. Type Ashton, an architecture and education specialist, has a good video on the way, discussing how German playgrounds are designed differently from those in North America. These spaces should be created so that, as Jonathan Haidt states, “in unsupervised, child-led play where children best learn to tolerate bruises, handle their emotions, read other children’s emotions, take turns, resolve conflicts, and play fair.”. As a community, we must ensure that our public spaces foster the healthy development of our children.

Another interesting video by Type Ashton shows how German public spaces are designed to accommodate families. Our public spaces are generally separated between “adult” spaces and “children” spaces. Bringing children to “adult” spaces can be awkward for parents, which means they often avoid those spaces with their kids unless necessary. Adults without children are usually uncomfortable going to a “children” space. I have spoken to some neighbours who felt awkward attending our “Community Café” event because it was held in the park, which is typically a space for children. The division of “adult” and “children” spaces is needlessly isolating and segregating people. This robs children of opportunities to interact with adults who are not their parents, and also deprives them of the chance to learn from observing their parents interacting with other adults.

I would like to see our community become more kid-friendly in the coming years. We have a lot to lose if we continue creating real-world spaces that can’t compete with virtual environments, and we have a lot to gain if we build spaces where people of all ages can grow and develop together. We just have to ensure that as our community evolves, it becomes a way that helps us come together instead of driving us apart.