‘I need nature, I need space’: high-rise families rely on child-friendly neighbourhoods

Children’s living spaces of children’s live environments in Australian city capitals have significantly changed in the past ten years. This is especially true with the rising number of families with children living in inner-city private high-rise homes. Our research of a particular region illustrates how families depend heavily on their communities to cater to their children’s requirements and fill the void of home space. Many people saw the accessibility to natural, green areas as essential.

Families make up half of the Australian inhabitants living in apartments, and almost half are parents, as shown by the 2016 Australian Census figures. More families in apartments grew by 56% during the censuses of 2011 and 2016. Despite the increasing popularity of flats, it is evident that this kind of housing needs to meet the requirements of Australian families.

The City of Yarra is a Victorian municipality that has experienced an increase of sixfold in its number of apartment units over the last ten years. The results of a study of households discovered that people living in dense regions of the municipality were happier with their neighborhood than an area to raise their children.

In our recently published research, apartment-dwelling families described “living outside the house.” Unlike suburban families who could spend more time in their own homes, the families in this study depended on local environments due to the limited space within apartment complexes.

But, some aspects of this setting were a challenge. More must be done to assist families with children in these environments.

Viewing the neighborhoods through the eyes of parents

The utilization of Photovoice Photovoice enabled us to “walk a mile in the shoes” of parents who raised children in high-rise, private homes in Yarra. Parents were allowed three weeks to take photographs of living in apartments and their surroundings that they thought were helping or causing problems as they raised preschool children. The photos were examined in interviews with individuals and an open-ended group discussion to explore their most memorable experiences.

The accessibility to natural, green spaces was an essential requirement for families participating in our study to offset the shackles of living in apartments. Several parents documented the surrounding river areas. One parent talked about the importance of the river to her mental health by saying:

If I were living in our area and not close to these things, I wouldn’t be able to live there. It feels so essential to me due to the way we live. Nature is my need; I require space, and I want to have it quickly and accessible, or else it makes living our lives the way we do not seem possible at all.

Our findings also revealed natural spaces supporting children’s well-being. These are key for children’s health and development, ranging from play areas to learning spaces, places to take risks, and sites to engage with animals.

It is not surprising that public playgrounds were crucial for families with apartments. Local cafes were also regarded as ideal places for families to meet.

If you’re at a cafe on a Sunday morning, you will observe children running around and playing … particularly in an area like this. There needs to be a backyard, trampoline, or similar. This is how the people in the region stroll with the kids and let them play for a bit.

Local schools’ accessibility and exposure of young children to traffic were two aspects of high-density living that families had to consider in conjunction with the advantages of continuing to reside and raise their kids in such areas.

Our findings that parents need help obtaining local schools and childcare services further strengthen the idea that the construction of private high-rises in Australian cities was designed without considering kids as citizens.

Aligning with previous overseas studies, including from New Zealand and the Netherlands, young children’s exposure to traffic was a particular concern in our research.

Families adjusted by riding on bike trails and doing shopping online. Ultimately, the children were taught how to adjust to their surroundings as early as possible. One parent said they must “grow up quick (and) know how to look after themselves.”

How do we make better neighborhoods for families?

Families would like green spaces to be secured rather than obliterated through growth. They believed that additional traffic calming measures in the local area were needed. They also advocated for childcare centers and preschooled to offer top-quality outdoor spaces to compensate for the absence of outdoor space within apartments.

They also noted missing opportunities to create more places for families. For instance, more restaurants, cafes, and community spaces could be included on the street level of complexes housing large numbers of people.

The policy implications are that the state’s guidelines for apartment design must be further developed to consider the environment surrounding apartments. Implementing the procedures from the checklist designed for child-friendly high-density homes in Western Sydney would be a great beginning.