CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction 1 1.1 Need of the Study 3 1.2 Aim 4 1.3 Research Objective 4 1.4 Research Questions 4 1.5 Methodology: 5 1.5.1 Primary Survey: 5 1.5.2 Secondary Data Analysis 5 1.6 Scope 6 1.7 Limitation 6 1.8 Organization of Thesis 6 Chapter 2: Literature Review 8 2.1 Children and the city 11 2.2 Child Psychology 19 2.2.1 Freud’s Theory of Child Development 19 2.2.2 Piaget's Theory of Child Development 19 2.2.3 Webber, Porter and Menac Model of elderly mobility 22 Chapter 3: City Profile 23 3.1 Demography 24 3.2 Selection of Site 24 3.2.1 Income 25 3.2.2 Built- environment 25 3.2.3 Family and Society Setting 25 3.3 Data Collection 27 3.3.1 Primary Data Collection 27 3.4 Social Profile of the Respondents 28 3.5 Background of Respondents 28 3.6 Data Analysis 29 Chapter 4: Children’s independent mobility & Experiences 31 4.1 Framework of Study 33 4.2 Basic Mobility Experiences 35 4.2.1 Journey to and from school 35 4.2.2 Accompaniment to School 37 4.2.3 Other trips/ activities (mainly non-school) 39 4.3 Social Factors Influencing Children Independent Mobility 42 4.3.1 Age and Independent Mobility 42 4.3.2 Gender and Independent Mobility 43 4.3.3 Family Setting and Independent Mobility 44 4.3.4 Family Setting 47 4.4 Physical Factors Influencing Children’s Independent Mobility 51 4.4.1 Description of Study area 51 4.4.2 Overview of built-environment and mobility 53 4.4.3 Built environment settings, activity and level of independence 55 4.4.4 Built-environment and Independence 57 4.4.5 Geographical Location of Site and Mobility 59 4.5 Spatio-Temporal Changes in Children’s Independent Mobility 61 4.5.1 Mode of transport to and from school journey 62 4.5.2 Accompaniment to and from school journey 63 Chapter 5: Critical Issues Identification 64 5.1 Issues with Built Environment attributes 65 5.1.1 Road 65 5.1.2 Open Spaces 65 5.2 Society Level 65 5.3 Major Issues Identified 66 Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendation 67 5.4 Recommendations 69 5.4.1 Road Networks 69 5.4.2 Road Safety Workshops 71 5.4.3 Open Spaces 71 5.4.4 Children Participation in Planning Process 72 Bibliography 74 Annexure 77