May 6, 20211 min read

Urban Childhood LALALAND

Do you remember childhood ?

Adults tell individual histories and memories connected to neighbourhood

place, cities architecture has been marking its mark on us. Children experience

however are insufficiently considered in city planning. The project

approached urban design by emphasizing third space to complete urban

experience.

This project thesis stands for empowering children’s voice to be heard, ideas to be

seen. In search for answer to children’s LALALAND, valuable attempt was

made to interact with children to propose open navigation in urban environment

and support their right to city. The 140+ children from different

background “participated” in this research demonstrated positively in the

discussion of involving children’s perspective in urbanism.

Initially, the mission established direct engagement with children to investigate

neighbourhood experience and revealed their straightforward approach

to their version of child-friendly urban scenes. Unavoidably to confirm obvious

difference (read Vol.1 How Children Friendly?). Progressed to Mission

2 of the drafting of neighborhood plan along children’s route (documented

in Vol. 2). Envisioned third places, commonly known as street and place between

places are not merely circulation space, they are destinations as well

as transitory zones.

Mission 3 based on background research to understand how children experience

and represent space, in its Vol.3 communicated spatial design of

LALALAND’s urban form, one that is inclusive to the entire community.

In short film “Urban Childhood LALALAND”, engenders LALALAND building

children’s sense of place and belonging, they provide opportunities for

play, opportunities to ‘walk and talk’ with friends, opportunities to observe

and learn; essentially, to use.

Other films:

Do You See What Children See? https://youtu.be/CMvwv5JMusY

Hiu Tung Wong

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