Resumen de Children's Changing Urban Lives: A Comparative New Zealand–Pacific Perspective

Claire Freeman, Govinda Ishwar Lingam, Greg Burnett

• Pacific Island countries are undergoing processes of urbanization and globalization. This paper asks what these processes mean for children's lived realities and for urban planning in the Pacific. It reports on findings from a study undertaken with children aged 9–13 years in schools in Suva, Fiji, and Dunedin, New Zealand, that looked at children's travel, safety, neighbourhood relationships and how they use their local urban environment. This research presents information and understandings that can inform the development of urban areas and enable planners to respond more effectively to meeting the needs of children living in a rapidly urbanizing Pacific.