Study on the space composition of a town as an educational environment and child spatial cognition

This paper describes a study of urban housing projects from the point of view of developing an appropriate environment for children. The study took place in Makuhari Bay Town, a mid-rise apartment and condominium area with extensive educational facilities. The study used sketched maps to determine the relationships between the children living in Makuhari Bay Town and the environment. Two investigations, one in 1999, followed by another in 2003, were conducted during the development of this area. The research employed the sketched maps drawn from the child's memories about house, school, usual playing area and other notable places. The area underwent many physical changes in the years between the two investigations. These changes were reflected in the number of elements that the children drew on their maps. The changes in the sketched maps were compared and analyzed, and, the environmental changes and their relationship to the children spatial cognition were considered. The range domains described on the maps were also analyzed and compared. The results show that the children objective understanding is enhanced at an earlier stage by the spatial structure of Makuhari Bay Town and by environmental changes, both of which consist of grid patterns. The experience, everyday life, and spatial cognition of an elementary school or a playground have a close relationship to a child's living environment. The analyses reveal the childrens spatial cognition of their living environment in a developmental urban housing area with extensive educational institutions.