Playing in urban green spaces according to two generations

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32358/rpd.2023.v9.623

Keywords:

urban green spaces, ecosystem services, play, popular games

Abstract

Purpose: the evolution of technology and the appearance and access to new toys, replacing popular games, in which children could observe and learn about the natural environment while playing. The present work analyses Urban Green Spaces (UGS) as play spaces. Methodology/Approach: students from the First Cycle of Basic Education were asked through an anonymous questionnaire, as well as their parents/guardians, about the use of UGS to play, in order to obtain a comparison between generations. Findings: UGS are important as spaces for playing, since they provide free space in the city and are enhancers of more popular games that promote physical exercise. In addition to enrich contact with the natural environment, the UGS also promote learning and socialization. Research Limitation/implication: More than half of the world's population lives in urban areas and it is estimated their growth, by 2050, 68% of Humans will live in cities. As cities grow and become denser, the population tends to have less contact with Urban Green Spaces, however several studies point out that UGS are a provider of health and well-being. Originality: the UGS are now important in providing a service to the inhabitants of cities, to which it is very difficult to substitute.

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Author Biographies

Bruno Filipe Gonçalves Martins, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro

Bruno Martins has a PhD in Agricultural and Forestry Sciences and a Bachelor's and Master's in Landscape Architecture. In addition to being a Landscape Architect, he is also an Invited Assistant Professor at the Department of Forestry Sciences and Landscape Architecture at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro.

Lídia Machado dos Santos, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança

Lídia is an Invited Adjunct Professor at the Portuguese Department at the Higher School of Education of Bragança - Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Portugal. She holds a PhD from the University of Vigo, Spain, in Advanced English Studies. She concluded, in 2021, a Post-Doctorate in Portuguese Literature with a work on the poet Guerra Junqueiro in the context of his work-A Velhice do Padre Eterno-at the Faculty of Letters of the University of Lisbon. She is currently enrolled in a second post-doctoral program at the University of Évora, during which she will comparatively study the works A Velhice do Padre Eterno, Os Simples and Pátria by the Portuguese poet Guerra Junqueiro.

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Published

2023-01-31

How to Cite

Martins, B. F. G., & Santos, L. M. dos. (2023). Playing in urban green spaces according to two generations. Revista Produção E Desenvolvimento, 9(1), e623. https://doi.org/10.32358/rpd.2023.v9.623

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Section

Territorial Affairs