A local participatory experience for improvement of playgrounds

Arzu Ba�aran Uysal
Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Faculty Of Architecture And Design, Department Of Urban And Regional Planning, Canakkale, Turkey

The safe areas for children�s play are declining with urbanization. Despite the fact that the significance of play in the development of children is well known and that the demand for safe areas for children increases every day, playgrounds are one of the most neglected spaces within cities. The fact that children are not represented and that they cannot vote is one of the main reasons that this problem is overlooked by the administrators of cities. In this article, the experience of a group of volunteer women, who came together to improve the playgrounds in a medium size city, is discussed. The group got together under the auspices of �anakkale City Council, brought the issue of improving playgrounds to the agenda of the city and succeeded in attracting the attention of local authorities. The process, consisting of analysis of the current status of the playgrounds, interviews with children and parents, and raising awareness, was finalized with an action plan for playgrounds. The Action Plan for Improvement Playgrounds in �anakkale (2010-2014) continues to be implemented even if not completely. This article shows that children and women, who are defined as disadvantaged groups, are able to effect to decision making process with help the City Council. The quality of life was improved by local participation in the city, and the awareness of decision makers was raised with regard to thinking in a more child-centered manner.

Keywords: playgrounds, local participation, city council, �anakkale

�ocuk oyun alanlar�n�n geli�tirilmesinde bir yerel kat�l�m deneyimi

Arzu Ba�aran Uysal
�anakkale Onsekiz Mart �niversitesi, Mimarl�k Ve Tasar�m Fak�ltesi, �ehir Ve B�lge Planlama B�l�m�, �anakkale, T�rkiye

Kentle�me s�reci ile birlikte, �ocuklar�n oyun oynayabilecekleri g�venli alanlar azalmaktad�r. Oyunun �ocuk geli�imindeki �neminin bilinmesine ve oyun alanlar�na duyulan ihtiyac�n her ge�en g�n artmas�na kar��n oyun alanlar� kentlerin en ihmal edilmi� alanlar�n�n ba��nda gelmektedir. Bunda �ocuklar�n temsil edilmeyen ve oy vermeyen bir kesim olarak kent y�neticileri taraf�ndan g�rmezden gelinmesinin pay� b�y�kt�r. Bu makalede, orta �l�ekli bir kentte, �ocuk oyun alanlar�n�n iyile�tirilmesi amac�yla bir araya gelen g�n�ll� bir kad�n grubunun ya�ad�� deneyim tart��lmaktad�r. Kent Konseyi �at�s� alt�nda bir araya gelen grup, oyun alanlar�n�n geli�tirilmesi konusunu kentin g�ndemine ta��m�� ve yerel y�netimin dikkatini �ekmeyi ba�arm��t�r. Kentteki oyun alanlar�n�n mevcut durumunun analizini, �ocuklar ve ebeveynler ile yap�lan g�r��meleri ve bir fark�ndal�k yaratma s�recini kapsayan s�re� oyun alanlar�n�n geli�tirilmesi amac�yla haz�rlanan bir eylem plan� ile sonu�lanm��t�r. 2010-2014 �anakkale �ocuk Oyun Alanalar�n�n Geli�tirilmesi Eylem Plan� bire bir olmamakla birlikte uygulanmaya devam etmektedir. Bu makale, dezavantajl� kesimler olarak tan�mlanan kad�nlar ve �ocuklar�n, Kent Konseyi arac�l�� ile karar s�recini etkileyebileceklerini g�stermektedir. Yerel kat�l�m kentteki ya�am kalitesinin y�kselmesine katk� sa�lam�� ve karar verenlerin daha fazla �ocuk odakl� d��nmeleri gerekti�i konusunda fark�ndal�klar�n� art�rm��t�r.

Anahtar Kelimeler: �ocuk oyun alanlar�, yerel kat�l�m, kent konseyi, �anakkale

Arzu Ba�aran Uysal. A local participatory experience for improvement of playgrounds. Megaron. 2015; 10(3): 423-439

Corresponding Author: Arzu Ba�aran Uysal, T�rkiye

TOOLS

Full Text PDF

Download citation

RIS

EndNote

BibTex

Medlars

Procite

Reference Manager

Share with email

Send email to author

Similar articles

PubMed

Google Scholar