In class last week I mentioned a Netflix show, called Old Enough!, which shows kids in Japan being independent and able to navigate cities safely at a very young age. You can see the webpage for the show here.
Different people have argued that, while some of this is cultural, this type of independence is due to the built environment. For example, in this blog post, E. Owen Waygood, a professor at Montréal Polytechnique, is quoted saying: “There is an underlying cultural value—Japanese parents believe kids should be able to get around by themselves. And they build policies to support that. Japanese cities are built on the concept that every neighborhood should function as a village. That planning paradigm means you have shops and small businesses in residential neighborhoods, which means there are places to go—places these kids can walk to.”
Here is another blog post and podcast on the same show and topic that talks in more depth about the many planning decisions that make this possible. It is on a podcast called 99% Invisible which is about urban planning.
Enjoy!
This is amazing. Not only are the parents confident that these kids can run these errands but also that the adults around them are so willing to assist. There is an obvious feeling that they will be safe despite the distance, the traffic, the other people around them. I thought it was a real testament to the parents (or at least the mothers) that the children could take on the responsibility. There was no whining. They were happy to take on these errands and they were not always easy.
ReplyDeleteThere was a sense of safety and comfort within the streets, stores etc.