Dynamics of negotiated use of public open spaces between children and adults in an African city

The sustainable development goal (SDG) 11 emphasizes the role of public open space (POS) in creating inclusive and liveable cities. The present study coupled concepts of right to the city, inclusion, and negotiation to illustrate how inner-city children and adults establish a harmonized consumption of a district POS. The study examines how different age groups can achieve a consensus-based consumption of a vulnerable, small, and intensively used POS in Kano City, Nigeria. Data were collected using 358 self-administered questionnaires and field observation and analyzed using thematic content analysis, a multifunctional matrix, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) to illustrate the negotiated uses of the POS. The study found that children and adults in this densely populated city depend on the POS covering only 0.5 ha for recreational, religious, and informal commercial activities. Users reach a consensus regarding sharing and separation of uses in a zero-conflict and lively atmosphere, underscoring the multifunctionality of this small POS. This study contributes to our understanding of the values of POS as a platform for fostering social coexistence, multiculturalism, tolerance, sharing, and collaborative consumption of scarce resources in cities. The study can assist municipalities in developing inclusive strategies for implementing SDG 11 to create more sustainable cities and communities.