Albani, Melina (2024) Strengthening Singapore's sustainable and inclusive urban development - a case study of Singaporean initiatives facilitating children's participation in urban planning and design. Bachelor thesis.
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Abstract
Researching children's participation in Singaporean urban planning and means by which it can be enhanced to strengthen its standing in sustainable and inclusive urban development, this case study adds substantial value to the previously West-centric exploration of the Child-Friendly City (CFC) concept. By engaging UNICEF’s database of global CFC’s, it provides novel insights on child participation practices and highlights best cases. The conceptualisation of children's participation in urban planning and its link to sustainable and inclusive urban development are investigated, and guiding frameworks by Horelli (1997), Lundy (UNICEF, 2018), and Hart (1992) are selected. With conclusions from a critical analysis of best-practices in Boulder, Wolfsburg, and Vienna, criteria to render a participatory space child-friendly are framed into an assessment framework later applied for the evaluation of three Singaporean initiatives. While best-practices reveal shortcomings, observations prove global commitment to inclusive planning participation. Findings confirm global and Singaporean initiatives collect children's perspectives and facilitate idea development. Global initiatives more commonly engage enabling mechanisms that warrant meaningful influence of children's contributions, thus their comprehensive involvement. Government-initiated projects revealing restricted children's involvement underscores Singapore's undemocratic and strict planning governance that limits effectiveness and inclusivity of participatory approaches, further strengthened by contradictory global trends. Unclear participant recruitment, engagement environments, and communication of findings challenge accessibility and child-friendliness of Singaporean participatory efforts. Respecting the institutional and cultural differences to global approaches, Singaporean planners are suggested to adopt global best-practices through organisational restructuring, introducing initiatives involving child-led councils that collaborate with decision-makers. Enhancing children's participation and influence, this is expected to improve the societal well-being of Singaporean citizens by assuring spatial adjustments that facilitate development of an inclusive and sustainable urban environment.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
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| Degree programme: | Spatial Planning and Design |
| Supervisor: | Ataol, O. |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Jul 2024 11:56 |
| Last Modified: | 16 Jul 2024 11:56 |
| URI: | https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/4614 |
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