Streets as Child-Friendly Spaces: Play, Adaptation, and Spatial Negotiation in Shat Tola Pora Basti, Dhaka

This research paper explores child-friendly activities in ‘Shat Tola Pora Basti,’ a densely populated low-income squatter settlement in Dhaka, characterized by a severe deficiency of dedicated open play spaces for children. Employing qualitative ethnographic methods, the study investigates how the vulnerable children of squatter settlements in Dhaka, one of the third world’s megacities, adapt to their situation of severely deficient open play spaces. The primary findings reveal that two major streets, which run through the residential and bazaar areas, have evolved spontaneously into active play spaces for the children. Despite distinct spatial characteristics, these streets share a common feature: the children's constant negotiation of space through ‘making and breaking.’ Children repeatedly and spontaneously ‘make and break’ their playing activities in response to vehicular traffic. Understanding such contextualized child-friendliness highlights this paper’s niche question: how do streets become a Child Friendly Space (CFS)? The study will contribute to developing sustainable CFS in high-density areas, offering a conceptualization of CFS for vulnerable children residing in Dhaka's low-income squatter settlements.