On the new Netflix show “Old Enough,” Japanese toddlers run errands for their parents, crossing busy streets to navigate grocery stores, dry cleaners and open-air markets. The 10-minute episodes chronicle the toddlers’ journeys as city buses whiz by, bicycles glide around them and cars stop as they approach a crosswalk and wave a yellow flag.
Set aside the vast difference in parenting styles between all of the U.S. and this slice of Japanese life. I find that fascinating, for certain. Imagine nurturing independence and empowerment among our children in such a real and specific way. At the age of 3, no less. (Side note: The staged show isn’t without controversy in Japan but, in general, parents there are more likely to embolden their children to manage their own affairs without stage directions.)
But what I’m fascinated by is the fact that the cities are constructed in such a way that makes running errands like that even possible. In a recent Slate article, a professor of transportation at the University of Tokyo said kids walking to and from school is the norm there.
“Roads and street networks are designed for kids to walk in a safe manner,” Hironori Kato said in the article.
For example, raised sidewalks are rare. Instead, roads are constructed for multiple purposes – cars, cyclists and toddlers going to the fish market. Street parking is also rare which increases visibility and keeps the streets safer.
In addition:
- Drivers in Japan are taught to yield to pedestrians.
- Legal speed limits are low.
- Blocks are small and have lots of intersections, which keeps drivers moving slowly.
Walking to school is so popular in Japan, they have what are called “walking school buses.” These are a parade of kids walking to school together with the older children guiding the younger. The benefits to this are endless but one byproduct is that kids get to know their neighborhoods well. They also learn that walking places is, well, normal.
All of this makes me think of the 15-minute city, an initiative that imagines everyone living in a city having access to essential needs within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. In other words, it puts people at the center of urban transportation.
So whether or not you think four-year-olds should be picking up lunch and laundry – honestly, it sounds like heaven to me – it’s difficult to argue with the idea that our cities could be better equipped for adults to do that too. We should be building connected cities that focus on inclusive access – for everyone, maybe someday for our toddlers.