environmental design + research studio
Publications
At GRIT, we are on a mission to develop peer-reviewed journal articles, guidance manuals, strategic frameworks, assessment checklists and design guidelines for both the real-estate industry and academia to support the planning and design of spaces that are supportive of children, young people and adults’ well-being.
Below are listed a range of peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, books, online articles, and other publications:
Being Active in Play Environments: The key to children's health and wellbeing
2021
BERA's online blog series
Atmakur-Javdekar, S. (2021) Being active in play environments: The key to children’s health and wellbeing. Online blog series by British Educational Research Association (BERA) as part of ‘Wellbeing and being outdoors’.
Rethinking Young Children's Play Lives: Do toddlers and pre-schoolers need academic lessons and enrichment activities?
2021
article for BERA's special issue
Atmakur-Javdekar, S. (2021, May). Rethinking young children’s play lives: Do toddlers and pre-schoolers need academic lessons and enrichment activities? Research Intelligence by British Educational Research Association, The serious side of nature, outdoor learning & play International perspectives (147), 18–19.
Environmental Psychology: Feature piece
2022
local monthly newsletter
Atmakur-Javdekar, S. (2022, January). Environmental psychology: Feature piece. The Kindness, 1.
Prior to founding GRIT, our founder-director’s key contributions to academia include:
Young Children's Play in High-rise Housing
2020
doctoral thesis
Atmakur-Javdekar, S. (2020). Young children’s play in high-rise housing: A window into the changing lives of urban Indian middle-class families in Pune metropolitan area [Doctoral Dissertation in Environmental Psychology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York].
Children's Play in Urban Areas
2015
book chapter for Springer's Geographies of Children and Young People
Atmakur-Javdekar, S. (2015) Children’s play in urban areas, in Evans, B. and Horton, J. (eds) Play, recreation, health and well being, Vol. 9 of Skelton, T. (editor-in-chief) Geographies of Children and Young People ( Singapore)
Publications by Dr. Sruthi Atmakur-Javdekar prior to founding GRIT
contributions with the Children's Environments Research Group (CERG), New York City
Prior to founding GRIT, while working with the Children’s Environments Research Group (CERG) Dr. Sruthi Atmakur-Javdekar produced a range of assessment instruments and technical reports with Dr. Pamela Wridt and Dr. Roger Hart. These include:
Young Citizens Score Card with Plan International
2016 (assessment instrument)
Wridt, P., (project director); Atmakur, S. (project co-director); Kimiagar, B. (project co-director); Hart, R., (principal investigator); Young Citizens Score Cards, 2016, Plan International.
Child Friendly Places Resource Kit with Bernard van Leer Foundation
2014 (assessment instrument)
Wridt, P., (project director); Atmakur-Javdekar, S. (research associate and South Asia research coordinator); Hart, R., (principal investigator); Child Friendly Places Resource Kit, 2014, Bernard Van Leer Foundation
Children’s Participatory Assessment Toolkit for Transitional Learning Spaces in Emergency Contexts with UNICEF
2011 (assessment instrument)
Wridt, P., (project director); Hart, R., (project director); Atmakur-Javdekar, S. (research associate); Children’s Participatory Assessment Toolkit for Transitional Learning Spaces in Emergency Contexts, 2011, UNICEF
Street and Working Children’s Post-Evaluation Report for Shaishav
2016 (technical report)
Atmakur, S. Shaishav’s Street and Working Children’s Post-Evaluation Report, 2016, Comic Relief.
Child Friendly Places Initiative-Gujarat for Shaishav and UNICEF-India
2015 (technical report)
Atmakur-Javdekar, S. Technical Report of the Child Friendly Places Initiative – Gujarat, 2015, Shaishav and UNICEF India
Critical Review of the Child Friendly Places Initiative, Mumbai and Bhavnagar Cities for Bernard van Leer Foundation
2015 (technical report)
Atmakur-Javdekar, S. Critical Review of the Child Friendly Places Initiative, Mumbai and Bhavnagar Cities, 2015, Bernard van Leer Foundation.
Child Friendly Places Global Evaluation Report for Bernard van Leer Foundation
2015 (technical report)
Wridt, P.; Atmakur-Javdekar, S. Child Friendly Places Global Evaluation Report – Global evaluation of a participatory, child rights approach to intergenerational assessment, planning and local development, 2015, Bernard van Leer Foundation.
Shaishav’s Street and Working Children’s Impact Evaluation Report for UK's Comic Relief
2014 (technical report)
Atmakur, S. Shaishav’s Street and Working Children’s Impact Evaluation Report, 2014, Comic Relief.
Shaishav’s Street and Working Children’s Pre-Evaluation Report for UK's Comic Relief
2013 (technical report)
Atmakur, S. Shaishav’s Street and Working Children’s Pre-Evaluation Report, 2013, Comic Relief.
Children’s Participatory Assessment Toolkit for Transitional Learning Spaces in Emergency Contexts
2012 (technical report)
Wridt, P., Atmakur, S. Children’s Participatory Assessment Toolkit for Transitional Learning Spaces in Emergency Contexts, 2012, UNICEF (Education Section)
Child Friendly Communities East Harlem for US Fund for UNICEF
2011 (technical report)
Wridt, P., Atmakur, S. Child Friendly Communities East Harlem, 2011, US Fund for UNICEF
contributions with World Resources Institute, India (WRI-India)
In 2020-21, while working with World Resources Institute (WRI) - India, Dr. Sruthi conducted a gap analysis of five key policy documents related to Infant-Toddler Caregiver Neighbourhoods (ITCN); and was instrumental in drafting a report for the funder titled, “ITCN Gap Assessment Report: An analysis of ITCN policy documents”.
During her time at WRI-India, she conceptualised, drafted and developed with a research team*, the revised versions of key policy documents, guidelines and toolkits related to Infant-Toddler Caregiver Neighbourhoods or the Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge led by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under the Smart Cities Mission, India; and funded by the Bernard van Leer Foundation.
ITCN 2.0 documents and toolkits include:
2021
1. ITCN 2.0 Policy Framework document
2. ITCN 2.0 Evaluation and Monitoring Metrics document
3. ITCN 2.0 Design Guidelines document
4. ITCN 2.0 Best Practices Compendium
5. ITCN 2.0 Policy Workbook
6. ITCs Standards and Design of Public Open Spaces
7. ITCs Street Design Toolkit
8. Young Children’s Play Diversity Toolkit
9. Engagement Activities for key ITC stakeholders
10. Toolkit for Assessing ITC scenario with Spatial Analysis
* Research team included Amy Joseph, Anushree Patil, Arunima Sen, Jashwanth Tej, Kaustubh Chuke, Noelene Marisa, Suhani Gupta, Swarna Dutt and Visakha KA.