Purpose and Summary. With rapid increases in urban population, children are fast becoming important users of the urban environment. Thus to large numbers of children, the urban environment is increasingly becoming the place to live, the place to grow up, and the place to learn. However, in the face of urbanization, cities are becoming less accessible to children, less equipped to cater to their needs and to foster appropriate development. The problems faced by special groups of urban children, such as homeless street children, stree-based working children, children in squatter settlements, etc., are gaining in magnitude.

This area of concentration pre-dissertation research will focus on issues related to urban children to gain a broad understanding of children's experiences, spatial behavior, and use of space in numerous urban settings around the world. Of particular interest are issues related to street children and homeless children and their use of the urban environment, with particular emphasis on their use of spatial environments.