City children have always wanted to play in the streets. They have wanted to be where the action is. The earliest playground were never intended to provide a rich play environment for children; adults wanted children off the streets, especially those children who were considered delinquent. They did not stay off the streets. All over the world research has shown us that when given the choice children would rather play in the streets than in playgrounds. The reasons are simple. Children do not want to be completely segregated from t he interesting world of adults.

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Title:  The Changing City of Childhood

Author(s): Roger Hart

Publication Date: 1987

Publisher: Publication of the Annual Catherine Maloney Memorial Lecture, City College of New York