Urban green space, children’s gardens and school gardens play important roles in the effort to introduce children to the natural world. Educational gardens have become a popular trend over the last twenty to thirty years because they introduce children to science and the natural world, in addition to providing places for play or quiet contemplation. Another driver for implementation of gardens is the public health improvements that have been linked to the act of gardening and the accessibility of urban gardens and gardens for children. This paper explores design opportunities to create naturalistic spaces that fulfill the developmental needs of urban children. It explores the benefits of naturalized spaces and gardens on youth, linking the current educational garden movement to the history of school and community gardens while applying key design principles for gardens to a vacant lot in Trenton, New Jersey for the Boys & Girls Club of Mercer. Using the themes of nature-deficit disorder and every day nature as a framework for analysis, it considers the design for the Boys & Girls Club Garden within the context of several other gardens for children throughout the country. The analysis relates the observed qualities of the selected gardens to psychological research and desired public health outcomes. The findings convey the applicable features of design that contribute to well-designed spaces for children and express additional efforts that should be undertaken in future designs to improve exposure to everyday nature.
Meghan's thesis project designed a new outdoor educational and play space for the Boys & Girls Club of Mercer. Meghan examined the use of space at several public and private gardens and analysed the design for the Boys & Girls Club compared with these other gardens.
The Boys & Girls Club used their extensive network of donors and volunteers to build a space for the children to play and learn.
The Boys & Girls Club used their extensive network of donors and volunteers to build a space for the children to play and learn.
Construction was completed, and the ribbon was cut in May 2019.
Children's Gardens Comparative Research
Children's gardens comparative research. The following diagrams were produced during thesis research to compare the proposed design for the Boys & Girls Club of Trenton to a variety of other children's gardens. During and after the design process Meghan visited multiple gardens, all gardens were intended for use by children, all were designed, and sizes ranged from 1/50th of an acre to almost 3 acres. Even though, natural untouched land is the extreme end of the spectrum for childhood development there is evidence that designed gardens and "everyday nature", no matter how small or large, are beneficial for people.
Design for the Boys & Girls Club of Mercer in Trenton NJ
May 2019 Ribbon Cutting Celebration
