Czech Republic
- Or: How do Kids See the Town?
The goal of this project is to answer the question how children-friendly our city is.
It is assumed, that cities, which care about the quality of public spaces from the point of view of children, disabled and senior citizens, are also the cities with the highest quality of life. For this reason we want to know the answer – what is the standing of our town?
The procedure
We want to proceed with the already proven method – to compose a “map” of the city, as children see it. Several Maternity Centers were asked to involve a number of mothers and their children into this project, to review and to record public spaces in their immediate neighborhoods. What is there for the kids? It is known, that good playgrounds for small kids differ from the grounds for school children and teenagers; however, there is never enough of these spaces even at the districts, where the quality of playgrounds is generally taken care of. The friendly approach of the city toward children may not be judged just from the state of the playgrounds, though. The issue of the needs of children and disabled citizens is a broader one. For instance, when going to the downtown, is there any quiet and convenient place to feed the baby and to change its diapers? Is the city safe for the kids?
Photos will be taken both by mothers with small kids, by schoolchildren themselves, as well as by our usual collaborators: architects, photographers, members of our organization. Also, we will ask the broad public to participate. Moreover, our intent is to involve a professional architect, who specialize in the playgrounds design and construction, which will help us to show new local possibilities as well as the way, how these things are done abroad. We want to indicate what might and could be done, if we would only care.
The exhibition will present a map of public spaces in the city, their functions in respect to children and the way they are equipped. The map will also indicate the differences among individual city districts and will raise the question why it is so. What the real needs are?
A part of the exhibition will be debates on relevant topics with professionals, city districts authorities, political representatives and the citizens. The goal is not only to criticize, but also to inspire, praise and offer help.
Special event
During the exhibition a price “The Child's Smile” will be awarded, which the Maternity Centers present to those who contributed to this cause.
Media support
We expect to involve the usual local and national media for presentation of the exhibition, coverage of public meetings and the outcome of the project.
Location
The exhibition is planned to take place at the downtown located Vankovka Studio, conveniently situated at a new shopping mall. A number of activities of non-profit organizations take place there on regular bases.
Timing and duration
The exhibition is scheduled to be open for three weeks during May 2007.