The main objective of any housing policy is to provide everyone (adults and children) with a good-quality dwelling and housing environment. In Belgium, following the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, children and youngsters are now considered a separate target group in housing policy formation. However, little is known…

Examines children's spatial mobility in urban settings, particularly in the public realm, using data from a study of children living in contrasting urban environments. Notes declining independent use of public space, and variations on use by gender, ethnicity, and family culture. (JPB)

Challenges representations of rural communities as inclusive, closer to nature, and therefore ideal places for youth to grow up and of urban areas as alienating and distanced from nature. Presents findings from rural and urban case studies focusing on young people's experiences of public space. Examines how youth describe the sites where they…

Argues that street children's public image does not consider root causes of homelessness or children's perceptions. Notes that the relationship of children to urban life is seldom analyzed, and that references to street girls commonly link them to prostitution. Advocates a more child-centered, participatory approach to research and discusses…

The current status of street children in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is characterized by marginalization from society through street vending, begging, theft, and prostitution. Evaluation of a drop-in center serving children without family linkages indicates need for needs assessments, follow-up activities, measurement of individual child progress,…

Discusses life paths of children and their families in cities in the Philippines, India, Brazil, Kenya, and Italy, providing an analysis of the multiple, overlapping crises that lead them to distress. Their life histories illustrate their resilience, but also illustrate how the quality of their relationships to meaningful adults is being…

Reviews textbook by Christina Szanton Blanc and others, incorporating viewpoints of students. Analyzes chapters focusing on particular countries, noting that the book sheds light on the old problem of disadvantaged children in postindustrial cities while also shedding new light on the more recent challenge of supporting human development in the…