Spatial Planning and Opportunities for Children’s Participation: A Local Governance Network Analysis

This article explores how children can be involved in urban planning projects, based on a one-year investigation of the development of a local spatial urban planning project in a municipality in Flanders, Belgium. The aim of the investigation was to identify opportunities and obstacles for children’s participation and child advocacy. The authors propose that possible children’s advocates need to develop their own network of actors. If this network has a talent for translating children’s needs into spatial planning and can influence decision making, then children’s participation in spatial planning becomes possible.

The article identifies the following major findings:

• The interviews revealed that the stakeholders were favourable to children's participation. They concluded that the interests of children and youth in spatial planning projects are often overlooked. It was acknowledged that planners and policy-makers have little information on children's use of space. However, most of the interviewees expected many practical problems in realising children’s participation because they conceived of participation only as the direct involvement of children.
• Although the voices of children and youth were not formally incorporated into the planning policy-making process, they were not without advocates. For example, the local youth council entered into an alliance with a community organisation. Together, they focused on environmental improvements for children in Oostnieuwkerke. They sent a letter of advice to the local authorities which presented ideas articulated on the design level (e.g., enhancing soccer opportunities in particular green spaces by leveling the terrain). However, their suggestions were not phrased for the planning level (e.g., in terms of land use and spatial networks). Consequently, the municipality did not consider the advice in the development of the Implementation Plan. Nevertheless, the suggestions could have been translated into planning-level concepts by interpreting the letter from the youth council as a plea for maintaining green areas as public spaces.
• The network analysis showed that there were two distinct networks functioning parallel to each other: a network of youth actors and a network of spatial planning actors. The isolated location of the youth service centre illustrates this division. The youth service centre is on a municipal site next to the library and the sports centre, a location close to children and young people. However, it is thus separated from the town hall where corridor chats and informal meetings on spatial planning take place. This arrangement mirrors the typical Flemish interpretation of a municipal youth service: it is staffed with field workers and organisers of recreational activities rather than with policy makers.
• Each time a spatial project is discussed, the children’s advocate should raise the question: “What are the implications for children and teenagers?” The advocates can start from their own experience and involvement with children, or they can seek the advice of the youth service and the youth council. In case of major projects or a lack of information, they can decide to involve or consult children and young people directly. This information can be introduced (formally or informally) into the planning process.
  Children's discourse is generally based on their actual use of space and their direct experiences of the environment. Long-term planning is not often their way of thinking. Thus, this requires the competence to translate children’s user experiences into relevant planning information. This kind of translation can be done in cooperation between youth actors and town planners through geographically mapping the community’s provisions for children. The act of mapping itself is a translation of the experience of children into the spatial terms of planning discourse. Furthermore, one can add other spaces and places that are of interest to children, or which are frequented by children.
• The development of a local spatial policy is quite complex. Many actors are involved. It was learned that a possible advocate of children’s interests does not have to possess all the knowledge and skills of an urban planner. More important for achieving the goals is the setting up of an advocacy network, using the talents and authority of other actors. In addition to setting up a network, it is strongly recommended to use advocacy planning when trying to incorporate children’s interests into urban planning projects. Children experience space in a very direct, physical way, while urban planning, on the contrary, is abstract and highly complex. Advocacy planning can bridge the gap between the direct experience of children and the abstract world of policy-making. Any adult who can influence policy-making can take up the role of child advocate, provided that they have access to the perspectives of children (directly or through informants).