When I was a child my favourite spaces were the laterite wall along the river and storm water channel in the village of Mashem. I loved to sit at the little Tar by the river, a quaint open structure made with stone and wood, and spent many hours watching the villagers take the canoe across and back. I loved the mud bunds and embankments because I could silently watch life of lesser known marine and amphibian fauna unfold below from where I was standing. The canopy of the coconut and mangrove trees were my favourite places to sit or lie down and watch the shadows and rays of light streaming through.
I loved cycling in the city of Panjim, to my school and to Miramar Beach. Walking across the Altinho hill and down into Fontainhas, Cortin or St Inez and around the base into Mala, Portais was so much fun and adventurous because in the summer these routes had trees and shrubs laden with berries!
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The parks and gardens in the city were friendly spaces where as children we could happily play. We could explore the edges of the city which had khazans, saltpans, fields, bunds, sluice gates and mangroves. We felt safe in these landscapes.
I discovered fiddler crabs on the banks of the Ourem Creek during low tides during school days.
The peripheral fields adjoining the villages of St Cruz and Taleigao were our open play grounds. The river and sea were spaces where we could freely swim into.
Today how have our cities changed?
Today the fields have become polluted with sewage water because of large gated colonies that have being built on low lying fields by dumping debris, etc. Both the creeks – St Inez Creek and Ourem Creek – are today heavily polluted with sewage and litter.
The khazans are slowly disappearing too because of encroachments of the ever growing city.
The sea and river water is heavily contaminated and we are now hearing of campaigns that are creating awareness of the hazards of ‘swimming in your own sewage’.
The parks and gardens in the city have become hostile and heavily barricaded.
Migrant children and mothers are often found in abject condition in the city. No place to play, no shelter from the heat and rain, no sanitation. They are forced to live and manage or fend for themselves in slum-like conditions.
No place is safe to play, the gardens, parks, open spaces are becoming more hostile. All public spaces are poorly lit and crime is increasing in the city. How then, can the city be safe for children and their caregivers?
The current developmental works being done under the Smart City initiative, that have been going on for a number of years, have caused severe hardships, inconveniences and in some instances even death to its citizens.
The current Climate Action Plan for Goa does not mention the needs of children and women. Smart City plans are still not inclusive.
What do children want in the city?
We need more eyes on the street and open spaces so that they can feel safe. Well lit parks and streets will allow more parents and caregivers after work hours to stay with their wards and children longer after the sun has set.
Our cities need more green cover in the form of urban forestry and food gardens. How pleasant it would be if children could freely climb trees and pluck fruit from low hanging branches all across the city, especially around school and college campuses. We need more opportunities for children to engage with this greenery by allowing them to climb, swing, play, etc.
There is an urgent need to reduce heat island effect by reducing hard pavers, hard landscaping in and around the city.
The springs in the city need to be conserved so that children can engage with these.
Street furniture needs to improve and be planned in public spaces that have none. Why are there no swings on trees in our city gardens? Why are there no parks that can be made from waste material like tyres, ropes and such other safe material?
Why does the City Corporation not have a Bal Sabha, so that children can participate in its planning processes? We need to engage children in planning the city so that their needs can be taken into consideration.
We need to enhance non-motorized transport, increase pedestrianisation. Allocated NoMoZo’s in the entire city supplemented by public transport can help children enjoy the city in a fun way where interactive art, installations can be set up to make their engagement more sensorial, thereby creating a memorable and unforgettable experience.
We need to reduce black spots of garbage in the city, particularly around areas which have informal settlements where the children, women, caregivers have to face the brunt of rising stench and unsanitary conditions. Children can engage in temporary art and sensorial art in the city. Where are these spaces for them?
In the recently conducted workshop by ICLEI on usage of public spaces and impact of climate change and worsening air quality on young children, their care givers and pregnant women in Indian cities, the participants from varied backgrounds specially young students – Sharavani Matodkar, Krishna Juvekar, Subodh Shelke and Urban Designer Ujjwala Singh – gave many of these inputs from the perspective of children and the case of Dattawadi in Mapusa town as a model for child-friendly city and sustainability. Whether these fantastic and replicable ideas are taken forward and implemented are to be seen in all our Smart City development. This will only be possible if we care to make our cities safe for children. Do you?
(Tallulah D’Silva is an architect and silver awardee of the Golden Door Award 2020 for truth and integrity)
