The House of Commons Library recently released a report analysing the decline of social and green spaces young people, an issue that has far reaching health and social cosneuqences for the younger generations. What’s more, it found a deep disparity in this access to social spaces in both class and race, with access to safe, green spaces a widening inequality amongst children based on their background.
The issue can even extend to young people in the UK. Whilst children need access to safe, outside spaces for development and socialising, younger people in their teens need access to more supported social spaces such as community hubs and youth clubs. Without these safe spaces, especially in deprived areas, young people are much more likely to engage in and contribute to issues such as anti-social behaviour, something reflected in our headlines today as we see more and more young people involved in criminal acts, at alarmingly young ages.
Historically, the UK has recognised the importance of outdoor children’s environments, from the Street Playgrounds Act 1938, which enabled temporary play streets, to the post-war development of adventure playgrounds influenced by figures such as Lady Allen of Hurtwood. However, large-scale national strategies such as the 2008 Play Strategy were later scaled back.
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The Need for Green
Access to outdoor social spaces is valuable to everyone, but for children it is pivotal in their development. Beyond simply the physical benefits of being able to exercise and remain active, a large part of a child’s development is dependent on experiences with both the natural world and other children of a similar age. The mental health benefits of time spent around nature are well documented, and for a child to be deprived of these opportunities can create serious barriers to development.
The disconnect between younger generations and the outside world was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. During a time when children being absorbed by technology at a young age was already becoming a growing social concern, the Covid-19 crisis and subsequent lockdowns crystalised this issue, with many families facing a situation where they were trapped with young children in a single flat or apartment, with no access to outdoor spaces. The long-term effects of this phenomenon are yet to be seen, but for those already struggling to keep their children from being engrossed by “screen-time” around the clock, being placed into lockdown created an environment that only added fuel to the fire.
Since the pandemic, for many these habits have stuck. This is an issue we can see in all walks of life; the almost dystopian rise of apps like Tiktok, the amount of workers who simply never went back to the office, the covid-19 pandemic fundamentally altered our view of day-to-day life. For children experiencing their formative years, this time spent inside with little to no outside play could be extremely damaging, and coupled with the already declining amounts of access to natural spaces it’s an issue that we can still see the ripple effects are still visible today.
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The vantage point of social housing
In communities, social housing landlords have a unique vantage point to tackle this issue. Over time, social landlords have shifted from simply providers of housing to support networks for the communities they cater for, adding social value to areas and engaging with local families to understand how their input can help to build productive lives for their residents. This mission extends to residents of all ages, and associations have played a crucial part over the recent years in the creation and maintenance of social spaces for communities over the country.
These spaces also help to subdue the negative ripple effects of young people being deprived of the formative spaces they need. With designated areas for socialising for young people, this reduces the risk of these activities becoming nuisances for other members of the community. Sports and other activities done in the courtyard of an apartment complex can be disruptive for other older residents, but with dedicated spaces in place for younger residents to exercise and socialise this clash is removed.
Giving back to younger residents is one of the key ways that social housing providers can bring social value to their neighborhoods, and provides benefits for the entire community rather than just for those that use the spaces themselves. With the steady decline of outdoor social spaces, we are seeing more and more young people find themselves with nowhere to go, especially those from disadvantaged economic and ethnic backgrounds. This inequality risks becoming entrenched, with healthy green spaces restricted to those who’s parents have the luxury of carefully selecting where their children grow up. Safe access to outdoor space should be for everyone, a right for children and young people to learn and grow safely, rather than a privilege.
