THE disappearance of children from the streets began in the middle of the 20th century and coincided with the rise in popularity of cars and the redesign of streets to accommodate them. But children did not just lose the streets, they lost an opportunity for adventures, independence, physical activity, and lifetime childhood bonds.
As the momentum to reduce private car use in cities and towns gathers pace, proposals due to go to cabinet shortly reportedly include recommendations around higher parking charges, reallocation of road space to pedestrians or other forms of sustainable transport, removing parking spaces, and low-emission zones restricting more polluting vehicles entering cities.
The strategy is reportedly due to be published shortly and will then go to public consultation before decisions around implementing some of the recommendations are taken.
These plans come on top of recent proposals from Dublin City Council and National Transport Authority (NTA) to reallocate road space in Dublin from private cars, to buses, cyclists and pedestrians, in order to meet legally binding climate targets and relieve city congestion.
The initiative aims to ‘remove traffic that has no destination’ (two out of three motorists in the city) and has been ‘overwhelmingly’ supported by the public, according to a report presented to Dublin city councillors.
But reallocation of city space must also consider the needs of young people and children in low income groups who have been deprived of space to play, partake in sport, and socialise.
This issue was highlighted last month when councillors described the lack of recreation and amenity spaces in Carrigaline as “absolutely criminal”.
The criticism was in response to evidence that a site identified on the Cork County Development Plan for a new town park and pitches is in private ownership and cannot be acquired.
Fianna Fáil councillor Seamus McGrath said he was disappointed that progress on acquiring land for further amenities in the town appears to be stalling, adding: “We need to see where we can go with this. The need is huge for a new park, playground plus sports pitches. It becomes very frustrating when it isn’t progressing.”
Fine Gael councillor Jack White agrees. “For a town of its size (approaching 19,000) not to have a central park and adequate amenity space is absolutely criminal,” he said. “The town has been badly planned for decades. This has to be taken up as a matter of urgency.’
The councillors are dead right. The needs of young people in towns and cities are not being prioritised. A report using data from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study shines a light on the global mental health crisis among young people, reporting that one in ten young people between 5 and 24 years of age live with at least one diagnosable mental disorder.
“This concentration of disability burden at an early age raises concerns about the potential lifetime impact of these conditions,” warn the authors in a paper published in January in JAMA Psychiatry.
The prevalence of mental disorders in 2019 was found to be 6.8% in 5-9 years and doubled to 13.6% in 20-24 years. Anxiety disorders were most common at 3.35%.
Notably, said researchers, there was a steep increase in mood disorders, particularly anxiety and substance use disorders, across early to late adolescence and from late adolescence to young adulthood.
We are not looking after the needs of our young people and children, particularly those in low-income groups.
A 2022 Health Research Board (HRB) confirmed one in three young people (aged 15-24) in Ireland are engaging in ‘hazardous and harmful drinking’ and that while young people are drinking later in life, more are engaged in hazardous drinking and developing alcohol-related problems.
The report also confirmed rising levels of ecstasy and cocaine use that are the second highest in Europe. The HRB state there is a clear link between mental health and substance use. Young adults with alcohol dependence are more likely to have severe anxiety, and cannabis users are more likely to report mental ill health than non-cannabis users.
One of the most visible successes in addressing the physical, social and mental health needs of young people has been in Iceland where an approach combining sports and understanding kids’ brain chemistry has helped dramatically curb substance abuse, with concomitant impacts on youth health and wellbeing.
In 1997, Icelandic teens were among the heaviest-drinking youths in Europe. Two decades later, it topped the European table for the cleanest living teens. The percentage of 15 and 16 year olds drunk in the previous month had plummeted from 42% in 1998 to 5% in 2016. Cannabis use had dropped from 17% to 7% and cigarette smoking fell from 23% to just 3%.
The turnaround has been both radical and evidence- based, but relied heavily on what might be termed enforced common sense.
A theory proposed by U.S psychology professor Harvey Milkman in Reykjavik University is that young people were getting addicted to changes in brain chemistry. Kids who were ‘active confronters’ were after a rush - they got it by stealing cars or though stimulant drugs.
Prof Milkman suggested if a social movement was orchestrated around natural highs: young people getting high on their own brain chemistry - without the deleterious effects of car-chasing, intimidation, alcohol or drugs - that could be a transformative change in their lives.
The idea spawned Youth Iceland, which offered teenagers natural high alternatives to drugs and crime. The approach involved comprehensive State funding for organised sport, music, art and dance, with low income groups prioritised for funding.
The results speak volumes. In 15 years between 1997 and 2012, the percentage of kids who participated in sports almost doubled from 24% to 42% while cigarette smoking, drinking and cannabis use plummeted.
It is hard to imagine the benefits that could accrue with a similar approach in Ireland to addressing the needs of young people living in areas of deprivation.
To create a city that incorporates a vision of a healthy place for young people to live cannot be left to chance - it requires an agreed vision and long-term commitment.
As we move towards cities and towns that are no longer car-centric and prioritise active travel - equally there must be a focus on embedding opportunities for socialisation, community cohesiveness, sport and play within the very fabric of urban areas for all our citizens
Proposals to reallocate urban areas in Ireland are targeting improved space for pedestrians and cyclists. As important is the urgent priority to make space for the social, physical and mental health of young people, and most important are the needs of youth in areas of deprivation.
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How to improve rural healthcare in Cork and beyond More in this section
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