Abstract
Much research on the importance of physical and recreational activities and play among children exists globally, though little has been done in Africa and Zimbabwe. More importantly, there is limited research evidence and policy dialogues on the importance of planning for child spaces for recreation and play in Zimbabwe. The main objective of the current study is to explore challenges and policy implications for recreational and play spaces in urban Zimbabwe. The study employs a literature review approach and reviews relevant studies from 1980 to 2023. The main challenges discussed include rapid urbanisation without development, little research, ambivalent policy and legal framework, corruption, politics of urban planning, invasions of play and recreational spaces, the prevalence of sedentary lifestyles and lack of scientific knowledge on the importance of physical activities. There is a dearth of public policies on promoting children's play and recreational opportunities, with the situation in communities compounded by a weak public capacity to plan, implement and enforce the promotion of recreational and play facilities.
Conclusion and recommendations
Child and planning-related policies and laws in Zimbabwe offer mixed signals regarding children's recreation and play opportunities. Some are clear that planners should offer recreational facilities or open spaces for children's play, while others are silent. This tallies with the lack of research on the area, the view that a healthy and prosperous person should not be skinny and the negative opinions on active transportation. Most universities in these countries do not consider themselves research centres but graduate-churning institutions, hence the lack of scholarly contributions. Policy-makers, vital corporate stakeholders, and, sometimes, scholars themselves do not deem universities to be centres for research. Zimbabwe boasts very high literacy rates but inferior research knowledge generation.
Perhaps the worst finding from the study is that some local councils and national public officials are driven by a lack of knowledge and corrupt tendencies to not set aside recreational facilities by diverting that land to other purposes. Evidence shown in this study implies the likelihood of the current challenges for children worsening unless conscious efforts are made to address them. Evidence suggests a growing incidence of sedentary lifestyles, less physical activity and increasing health challenges associated with obesity among children and youth in Zimbabwe. Children from rural areas appear to have better physical activities. However, the importance of play remains an overlooked area of research in the planning literature, though it has vital benefits for children's mental and physical well-being. Future research could engage with the broader interdisciplinary play literature by expanding the scope of the review to include journals that include, but are not limited to, play, sociology, environmental psychology, and early childhood education discourses. Future research can be transdisciplinary, involving local and national planning officials, corporations and academics to focus on age-inclusive and support urban areas. For the planning and play nexus to mature, research must go beyond disciplinary boundaries, age-based assumptions and normative arguments to engage with questions of how planning can create change and meaningfully foster play.
Local authorities should engage the community in improving public facilities, such as garden parks, and encourage residents to voluntarily participate in planting, maintaining and protecting the park and other green sites. There is a need to educate urban residents on the viability and importance of recreational facilities. The facilities could be utilised to bestow environmental and health awareness and literacy on the residents through taking responsible action.
The disused and dilapidated recreational facilities should be revamped so that they meet residents' needs. Children's playgrounds must have safe equipment that meets their needs. Recreational facilities should provide for a broader spectrum of activities. They should host functions such as book fairs and cultural and music expos.
Keywords: play, open space, resilience, town planning, urbanisation
Citation: Mhizha, S. 2024. From Imagination to Reality on Child Spaces for Recreation: Insights and Foresights on Zimbabwe. Kuveza neKuumba – Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University: Journal of Design, Innovative Thinking and Practice 3(1&2). Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University Press Office.
URL: ISSN 2957-8426 (Print) |
Journal website: https://zegu.ac.zw/journals/details/7
Post-Doctoral Fellow-Future Africa Research Leadership Fellowship, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
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