From Play-House for Children to Urban Space with Children

Abstract

In constructing an inclusive city, children have a fundamental role to play because if spaces - private or public - take this part of the population into account, they will serve the whole of society. From this perspective, a good starting point is designing space with children in mind. In this context, the Valencia School of Architecture has carried out several initiatives to design and build spaces where children can play. Through four competitions, carried out by architecture students and graduates in the last two years, the results are presented in order to make visible the importance that the child's vision has had and continues to have in the processes of generation or transformation of space. The analysis of these competitions and their evolution are committed to placing children at the centre of the reflection on the designed space, reclaiming them as transforming agents of the architectural space and the city. From the first competition to build a playhouse for children - in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years - to the last one, developed in the 2021-22 academic year, to build an urban space with children, there is evidence of an evolution in the competition statements, in the proposals presented and in the evaluation that shows a progressive approach towards a more inclusive and participatory society.