Lack of Child-Environment Congruence in Cherbourg, Australia

Obstacles to Well-Being in an Indigenous Community

Abstract

Australian Aboriginal children’s environments have rarely been subjected to systematic, in-depth study. Focusing on children from the Aboriginal community of Cherbourg, located in South-East Queensland, Australia, this paper explores child-environment relationships from a transactional and child-environment congruence perspective. This approach considers how the sociophysical environment can display greater congruence with children’s needs and requirements through better planning and design decisions. Several cross-cutting themes are identified in reference to those environmental features, patterns, and structures that frustrate, rather than facilitate, children’s needs and desires. Four selected themes are discussed relating to issues of boredom, risk, lack of privacy, and lack of environmental control. Children’s well-being and quality of life is dependent upon child-environment congruity.