Abstract:

There is a wide academic consensus that the social and physical attributes of outdoor activities can contribute to a more holistic children's development and learning (Acar, 2014; Fruin, 2020). Thus, the open public spaces of a city can play a more meaningful and useful role when they are designed with the aim to be children and family-friendly. On the other hand, the presence of children and their caregivers in a public space can create more opportunities to enhance the sense of community within a neighborhood.

In the research presented in this article, we approach primary schools of Athens as generators that could initiate a transformation on the understanding and, subsequently, the design of the public spaces that surround them towards a more child-friendly and family-friendly direction. More specifically, small-scale public spaces adjacent to primary schools could be introduced to the daily school activities and also become more vital after school if used by families and children. Besides, the current situation caused by the measures taken to eliminate the spread of Covid-19 could be used in order to promote more outdoor schools’ activities in public spaces of the city. This is especially relevant since the majority of primary schools in Athens tend to be disassociated from the public spaces that surround them and don’t incorporate them into their daily activities.

This paper aims to analyze the results of research conducted in Athens during 2020 - 2021 identifying the existing relation between primary schools and the surrounding public spaces. It explores the potential of these public spaces to host educational activities as well as families and kids after school and eventually gain a more active educational and communal role within the neighborhoods of Athens. Finally, it wishes to contribute to the emerging discourse regarding the challenges that have to be met if we want to propose more extrovert and community-oriented educational practices in Greece.

Keywords:

Child-friendly spaces, community, education, family-friendly spaces, inclusive design, public space.