Introduction

Children and young people are often discussed as if they are homogenous groups. The reality is of course very different, with enormous variation within each of these groups and in any domain of experience pertaining to childhood or adolescence. Driven by personal, sociocultural, geographic or economic circumstances, many children and young people worldwide are experiencing completely different realities from those of children who fit with more mainstream patterns of daily experiences of childhood. This has substantial implications for their sociophysical environmental experiences and our understanding of their physical environmental needs.