Children’s Use of the Outdoor Environment in a Low-Income Montreal Neighborhood

Abstract

This study investigated the outdoor places used by children in a low-income neighborhood of a large city, Montreal, Quebec. Using the classical behavioral mapping method, this study aimed to document children’s use of the outdoor environment by systematically recording their behavior in its context. We recorded 1,342 observations of children (8-12 years of age) along a predetermined observation route. Our analysis considered the types of places children used, gender, age and climatic variations, and patterns of independence and companionship. Based on this portrait of children’s behavior, we explore the outdoor environment’s capacity to support children’s development in a low-income urban neighborhood.