Reconnecting Children with Nature in Urban Space
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36249/4d.76.6427Keywords:
Városi természet, Gyerekek, Természetélmény, Gyerekbarát város, Living Lab, Részvételi akciókutatásAbstract
The increasing disconnect between children and their natural environment has profound implications for their development and well-being. This study examines strategies to foster reconnection by employing a Living Lab approach in Vác, Hungary, grounded in social constructivist landscape theory. Through a mixed-method framework—including drawings, narrative interviews, questionnaires, observations, and spatial mappings—the research explores how children, parents, and landscape architecture students perceive and engage with nature. The findings reveal significant discrepancies in these perspectives, particularly regarding the value of unstructured natural interactions versus structured urban green spaces. By highlighting these divergences, the study underscores the need for participatory planning approaches that integrate children’s voices to design urban environments with both formal and informal greenspaces that support spontaneous exploration.
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