In cities across India, the Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge – a collaboration between the Smart Cities Mission of the Indian Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and the Van Leer Foundation – is showcasing how interventions to improve urban life for young children and their caregivers can also contribute to building cities’ resilience against the impacts of climate change.
India is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, and young children are among those most affected – but their needs are often not considered. Earlier this year we supported the publication of a Study on Young Children and Climate Change in India, the first of its kind to look at the impact of climate change on children and caregivers in the country.
The study collected data on air pollution, humidity and temperature near early childhood facilities in four cities, with samples taken at both 95cm above ground level – the average height at which a young child is breathing – and 165cm, the average for a caregiver. It found that the presence of dense vegetation makes a significant difference to levels of air pollution.
Trees are especially important, as they not only transform the local microclimate but also provide shade for caregivers and children. Parks often lack shade, which means families are unable to use them during the heat of the daytime. Alongside trees, constructing canopies or shade sails can make outside areas more attractive for families to spend quality time in.
The Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge is focused on building networks of green spaces for children and caregivers. These green spaces can also help with climate resilience by reducing the urban heat island effect, and absorbing more water – the “sponge park” effect – which reduces the risk of localised flooding after extreme rainfall.
The city of Indore, for example, is developing over 500 parks. In some cases these are existing parks that have been retrofitted with new features, while in other cases they are new parks – often small “pocket parks”, in reclaimed spaces in local neighbourhoods where caregivers would otherwise be faced with a lengthy walk to the nearest green space.
In Sanskriti Nagar neighbourhood in Indore, a flood-prone area was transformed into a sponge park that also serves families. By removing the large paved area, and replacing with pathways through more permeable soil, the city not only created a more attractive place for caregivers and children to congregate and play but also improved local resilience to extreme weather.
Sanskriti Nagar Post-Intervention
When developing “sensory parks” for children to explore – which include materials such as wood, sand pits, local gravel and water features – participating cities have emphasised planting local trees and plants that are adapted to the climate and will be more resilient to future climate change. Often-used species include Banyan, Peepal, Sonchafa, Neem, Moringa and Golden Bamboo.
The Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge is also working to transform spaces outside family health centres, which often have nowhere for children to play while they are waiting for their appointment. Creating shaded outdoor areas with seating, and painting buildings white so they absorb less heat, helps with climate resilience while making visits to the centres less stressful for caregivers.
While the Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge is focused primarily on young children’s development, rather than climate resilience, it demonstrates the scope to serve both goals simultaneously. The Challenge is part of the wider Smart Cities Initiative of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, which includes climate resilience among its primary objectives.
As knowledge and awareness grow about the impacts of climate change on early childhood development, it will become increasingly important to look for opportunities to integrate climate adaptation into early childhood interventions and vice versa – making communities both more resilient and more inclusive to the needs of their youngest citizens.
