The Routledge Handbook on the Influence of Built Environments on Diverse Childhoods

Children and young people are often discussed as if they are homogenous groups. The reality is, of course, very different, with an enormous variation within each of these groups and in any domain of experience pertaining to childhood or adolescence. Driven by personal, sociocultural, geographic, or economic circumstances, many children and young people worldwide are experiencing a totally different reality to those who fit with more mainstream patterns of childhood. This has substantial implications for their sociophysical environmental experience and our understanding of their physical environmental needs. The aim of this book is to draw attention to these alternate realities for a number of these groups of children and young people, highlighting the unique and different considerations associated with their particular circumstances in each instance, and identifying the repercussions for their physical environmental needs. Ultimately, this book creates an evidence-based discussion which can be used by designers, planners and policy makers, and those delivering services and programs to children and young people as a basis to make informed decisions on how to work with the groups of children and young people in our book for better environmental provision.

Kate Bishop is Associate Professor, School of Built Environment at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Kate’s background in environment-behavior research underpins her teaching and research and her particular area of interest: children, youth and environments. She specializes in the research and design of environments for children with special needs; child and youth-friendly urban planning and design; and participatory methodologies with children and young people. Kate worked in private industry and government before becoming an academic.

Katina Dimoulias is a multidisciplinary researcher and academic in the School of Education, Western Sydney University. She received her doctorate in the areas of Environment and Behavior Studies from The University of Sydney. Her principal research focus is on children and youth populations experiencing vulnerabilities and their environmental experiences, learning environments and more recently nature-based community development approaches for adults. Katina is trained as an environmental designer and has consulted on the development of community service environments for young people experiencing vulnerabilities.