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How far were you allowed to travel alone when you were a kid?
Are you per chance Vicky Thomas, from Sheffield?
If by some very unusual fluke you are from Sheffield, England and your name is Vicky, you are now in your late thirties, married and have a lovely son named Ed. Most of your extended family has lived in Sheffield for the entirety of their lives; the Thomas’ are Sheffield through and through. When you were eight years old your parents let you walk a half a mile by yourself to the local pool. At the very same tender age of eight, your father was allowed to walk a mile to the woods, while your great grandfather walked unattended six miles to the local pond. For a host of complicated reasons ranging from dangerous streets to a lack of nearby play spaces to a largely media induced fear of many things, I am sorry to report, that you only feel comfortable letting your son walk by himself to the end of the block. Otherwise, you drive Ed to the football pitch and the entire family drives to the countryside for bike rides.
The Thomas’ are just one of many extended families in Sheffield, England extensively queried as part of a study conducted in 2006 examining how childhood mobility has changed since the early part of the Twentieth Century. The findings and the map pictured to the right are startling, if not downright scary. And it is unfortunate that I probably don’t need to tell you the Sheffield Study findings are not particularly unique. In fact, most of us could be perfect stand-ins for Vicky.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
For better or for worse, the landscape of childhood, and parenthood has changed dramatically over the years. The reasons for these changes are many but the implications are huge, particularly in the realm of public health where, among other things, we are in the midst of an obesity epidemic. And although there have been numerous studies linking sprawl to significant statistical increases in such things as susceptibility to high blood pressure or BMI (body mass index), we rarely talk about the design of our streets and cities as tools for tackling some of these problems. That's right, largely by design, people (not just children) tend to be on average at least six pounds heavier in car centric or suburban-esque areas.
Why aren't we talking about how the design of the places we live can reduce health care costs?
To properly set the ‘table’ for imagining how Austin’s streets and public spaces might be different or how we might address the implications of the Sheffield Study through design, do you mind if we take a step back for a moment?
Better yet, I need your help setting the table, err scene, for this to be a really good conversation.
Where did you most enjoy playing when you were 8 years old?
How far were you allowed to travel on your own?
Post your experiences here or if you are resistant to registering to post, feel free to email them to me and with your permission I will post them. Not from Austin? That’s a-ok, share your stories and experiences anyway- I can't wait to read them. I will be posting my own later today.
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Want to read more about some of the people, places and ideas discussed in this article?
The Sheffield Study-
John Thackara on the study and its implications (here)
A Daily Mail article on the study (here)
One organization and a few people who are beginning to challenge the culture of a risk management focused approach to childhood-
Common Good (here)
Lenore Skenaszy (here)
Tim Gill (here)
A brief cultural history of attitudes towards obesity-
An entertaining summation of Atlantic Monthly articles on obesity and culture (here)
Good bedtime stories-
The Dangerous Book For Boys (or Girls) by Conn and Hal Iggulden
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Want to talk more about these topics in person?
Next Tuesday (October 20th) at 7.00 pm at 501 Studios at E. 5th and Brushy Street, I will be presenting brand new research on the role of play spaces in cities as part of a symposium entitled, Building A Healthier Austin. It’s free and there are some great people presenting from a variety of different local organizations and backgrounds.
You can find more information on the event by clicking (here)
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The Weekly What If? is a weekly column by Alex Gilliam. Alex Gilliam is the founder of Public Workshop, an organization dedicated to helping individuals, schools, and communities achieve great things through design. The Weekly What If? focuses on re-imagining various aspects of how Austin, as a city, functions and feels. The goal is to foster a larger conversation about the present and future shape of our City.
Do you have a suggestion for something that needs to be re-imagined in Austin? Please email your suggestions to Alex:
alex (at) publicworkshop.us
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Oddly enough, I wasn't allowed to be at home alone until I was around 12, but I was allowed to walk about 1/2 mile in any direction I chose, and that involved walking to school each day. I probably could have gone further if I'd had anywhere to go (but elementary school students don't generally have friends more than 2 miles away).
Tim.
It's really funny how inconsistently we label things as being dangerous. Do you think your parents didn't want to leave home alone because of the various things that are dangerous within your house, because they wanted someone to be a part of those important development years of your life or because they wanted you to have someone to run home to in case something happened? Just curious, mostly because of their willingness to let you roam.
Were there physical boundaries like major roads, fences or houses that defined that half mile radius? That either you or your parents 'called out'?
I'm glad you mentioned your school experience because I think the idea of walkable neighborhood schools and definite, 'known' destination points for children really help change people's attitudes about mobility. The 'centralizing' of schools or the move away from neighborhood schools again perhaps occurred out of the best of intentions but is fraught with so many problems.
By the way, did you and your friends walk to school on sidewalks, through yards or in the street...or ride your bikes?
Best.
Alex
When I was 8, I probably most liked to play in a cul de sac in my neighborhood where my best friend lived. I probably was allowed to travel no more than a half mile.
Heyzeus,
Thanks for your comment. Did you and your friend just play in the cul de sac, literally in the middle of the cul de sac? What did you do? And were there lots of busy roads immediately beyond that 1/2 mile or your cul de sac?
Best.
Alex
I lived in the country was never really restricted. We had 25 acres, and there was an underused state park nearby with hundreds more. As I grew up I road my bike 5 miles to town regularly, or up to 100 miles with friends. Of course, when I got my license that all came to an end, until I picked it up again later in life.
I never remember my childhood friends being restricted in how far they could go. But these were small towns, and there wasn't the fear-mongering you see today.
My mother and young brother were verbally threatened once while on a bike ride by a creep in a car, but nothing happened. It was the only case I can remember where my family was afraid. My dad bought her a handgun. She never touched it. But I don't remember if she went bike riding after that either.
My impression is that people really are afraid today. I see parents shuttle their kids everywhere. I'm glad not to have grown up in that environment.
David.
Thanks for bringing a 'country' experience into the mix. When you were around 8 years old, did you primarily get about or explore by using the roads or by cutting across your the property of your family and others?
Also, I assume you now live in Austin. Do you think your own attitudes towards childhood, risk and mobility have changed by moving to a more urbanized area?
I agree with you regarding fear. I think, for a variety of reasons, we have forgotten that children are remarkably durable beings and that many of the fears we're sold regarding childhood are entirely over-hyped. Some of it is not intentionally malicious as it often comes from the best intentions but is in fact completely wrong-headed. One of the most frightening examples is that they have banned running on playgrounds in Broward County, Florida so children won't fall down. Okay, injury prevention.....not a particularly bad goal but then again children need risk and they need exercise to perform well in school and not become fat.
There are many that argue we have partially lost our children to tv and video games because we have made all of their experiences so very controlled and risk-free. A landscape of the boring can't compete with engaging video games.
Best.
Alex
I grew up in what was then a small town in Virginia, so even though the area we lived in was developed, there were large swaths of green space that my brother and I could easily explore. Some of that green space was public and the rest were people's yards, who for the most part were incredibly tolerant of using their property as right-of-ways or playgrounds.
Come to think of it, I don't know what we would have done had my brother and I not had that 'tertiary' neighborhood path system. There was a sidewalk on one of the 'bounding' roads in the neighborhood but we rarely used it, taking the paths instead- they were much more exciting. Granted, we liked to think we were sneaking around half the time, even though we were probably weren't fooling anybody.
There weren't any playgrounds nearby, certainly not within the 1/2 to 3/4 mile radius that we generally traveled. There was an indoor public pool that was great but more importantly there were good challenges and opportunities spread throughout the neighborhood, and those became the individual elements of our playground. The tallest tree for prospecting and being alone in one neighbor's yard; a broad and stout tree for hanging out with friends in another neighbor's yard; A massive hill at the nearby school for sledding, tumbling and racing up; a good trail for building a bmx jump; and just enough space to build the occasional fort or three.
The one thing we were missing, that both my brother and I would have been overjoyed to have? A stream. There wasn't enough dam and bridge building in our childhoods.
In regards to distances we traveled, I think these came more out of our own developmental comfort zones and the lack of friends within walkable distance beyond the 3/4 bubble than any parental imposed boundaries. Going near the highway or big roads wasn't very appealing. Roads provided many of the clearest, non-parentally imposed boundaries.
We may have considered traveling farther to see friends who were, let's say two miles away if we had friends (sad, but true) or even corner-type stores that we trusted at regular intervals along the way but we didn't. And the 'green', backyard neighborhood pathway system that we so heavily relied on totally broke down after about a half a mile or so from our house.
Re-posted from emails and facebook-
I could ride my bike possibly two miles to the country club/pool alone when I was 8 - 1980.
-Sutton
One time i went deep, deep into happy hollow park, over the hill and the ravine into the playing fields and the trails. big trouble!!
-Lauren
My parents let me go not much more than an 1/8 of a mile from our house but there was a really big paved hill that we loved to race our Schwinn Predators down.....and there was a really sharp left at the bottom. Clearly it really wasn't so much about them being uncomfortable with us doing risky things, instead we just happened to be confined by really busy roads beyond that 1/8th of a mile radius. The close-by roads had minimal, minimal traffic.
-Kelley
Re-posted from an email-
(Your article) Brought back fond memories of my childhood in canada. I'm the product of a completely hands off approach to parenting where my parents set very few boundaries and relied on us learning to make our own mistakes and decisions. My brother and i only had one rule that i can remember....be back by dinner time. So we'd ride our bikes around what was probably a 2 mile radius....to friends houses, the corner store, the skating rink, the school playground, the swimming pool, construction sites, you name it....And i remember countless evenings playing night tag in neighbors yards and wandering through fields in search of the perfect hockey pond. I'm pretty sure the only thing governing the distance i traveled was how long it'd take me to get back and whether or not whatever i was headed to was worth the distance. But then again, my parents were the type that put me and my brother on bikes with no training wheels, gave us a push and said first one to fall is a sucky baby!!! Haha...i used to love that...and needless to say neither of us ever fell.....
-Laurel
Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, cites research that the average distance an American child travels from their home has shrunk to 1/9th of what it was in 1970.
I was born in 1974 and thankfully my parents were not consumed with fear or an urge to give me rides everywhere. Until 4th grade I grew up riding horses many miles from the farm. I could be gone all day, as long as I was back for dinner.
After moving into town, my chrome Murray BMX bike allowed me to connect to more than nature. Running errands I got to know the grocers and men at the hardware store. I found and frequented my own barber. I rode my bike to open my first bank account and I returned to the bank weekly to deposit my lawn mowing money. I developed a taste for browsing antique stores. I got ripped off trading baseball cards at the local shop. I explored abandoned grain elevators. I pedaled from neighborhood to neighborhood to visit friends and if they were not home, I would talk to their parents or neighbors. By the time I got my drivers license, I already knew every shortcut in town but more importantly I got to know many types of people and developed a sense of myself as a citizen part of a larger community.
I applaud this "Week's What If" for connecting childhood mobility to the health care debate. I hope my comment also connects the mobility of youth to opportunities for building social capital into our cities.
Submitted via email from Ragna in Germany!! Thanks Ragna, you rock.-
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i just read your blog and i was just lately discussing a very similar topic with tobi. and we talked about how we spent our childhood and compared this with the kids from kreuzberg we work with at the moment.
i grew up on an isolated farm on the country-side. around our house were just fields and forests. i could go where ever. especially because i knew all the space around us from riding on horse-back. so as a kid i mainly rode through the country-side or walked over the fields with our three hunting dogs. what ever i did was always connected with lots of responsibility. i had to handle the horse carefully and watch the dogs that they wouldn´t run a away or hunt any game unasked. i often had to take my bike to ride through the village though, to search for the dogs when they ran away anyway.
i had my little hiding-places where i played for myself. some of them a kilometre or mile away from our house. the neighbours told me once that they thought that my parents were irresponsible for letting me go so far. and they said that they always had a eye on me, because of all the mad man in the world - one never knows! i know that i loved to be totally alone. so i loved to go for walks when it was dark and cold outside, because than i felt like being really alone. i always wanted to go to the Antarctica to be really all by myself.
and i loved to read. so i didn´t build any dams or caves but read books instead (and than i strolled around the landscape imagining myself being the characters of the books i read.) when i visited my friends i would ride my bike sometimes to their houses which were sometimes 5 kilometres far away.
my parents were very cool: the first time when they led me alone at home i was age 6 or 7. they told me, if i want to leave the house, i have to lock all the doors. when they came home there were all doors locked and there was a note by me telling them, that i was at our neighbours house. i had given my friends mom the keys so i would not loose them. my parents were extremely proud and trusted my from than on. when i was fourteen they went on a 2-week-summer-vacation and let me take care for the house and animals. from that year on i often watched the house alone or with friends, when they were gone. when they returned, i travelled - alone or with friends. when we were fourteen me and my friend rode our bikes to denmark. i took us a week and was a great trip!
i´m happy about the way my parents made me very independent.
but from my friends i knew it was unusual. i had quite some friends who couldn´t stay the night at our house, because they were scared of the loneliness and darkness surrounding us.
i was surprised to find out that the kids in berlin seem to be very tightly bond to the street in which they live. they don´t seem to stroll around much. they know their own district well. but everything beyond is for them a strange, unknown territories. some of them would like to see sights like the brandenburger tor. going there is for some them an as exciting trip as it is for all the tourists coming to the city for that purpose.
-Ragna