Who do we design our cities for? As fertility rates plummet, and the majority of our population moves into older...Keeping our cities child-friendly as society ages
Thousands of children in English cities are effectively homeless, with many even living with their families in converted shipping containers...Homeless children living in ‘shipping containers’ – report
Glasgow has launched a pilot scheme to ban cars outside several primary schools as it looks to keep children as...Glasgow trials car-free zones outside primary schools
Apartment life for families means living at close quarters – but also often isolation
Newer high-rise developments in Australia’s inner-city areas are increasingly home to parents raising young children. In the 2016 Census, family households represented nearly half of apartment residents. Close to one in ten children aged 0-4...Read more
Decline of public playgrounds ‘pushing children indoors’
Parents are increasingly concerned that a decline in outdoor playgrounds is pushing more children indoors to indulge in screen time, say play campaigners. A survey reveals that the vast majority of parents believe that playgrounds, which...Read more
Parents in Wales will need ‘support’ if smacking ban becomes law
Parents will need much more support if a new law banning the smacking of children in Wales is successfully introduced. That’s the view of a group of Welsh Assembly members (AMs), who also say that a...Read more
What happens when kids help design our cities
An innovative program in Colorado incorporates children’s ideas into city planning for friendlier, greener, and more inclusive spaces. What would cities look like if children had a say in their design? They would certainly be friendlier,...Read more
Actions needed to promote children’s growth in poor urban areas
The United Nations estimates that there are at least 1 billion people living in urban slums – poor areas in cities without adequate access to health care, clean water and sanitation. More than 90% of urban...Read more
Dutch allow electric child cart to return to the road
In The Netherlands, the ‘Stint’, an electric transport vehicle that is used to transport children will return after a ban. The ban was put in place last year after four children were killed when a...Read more
Taking positive psychology into the classroom
It’s early morning at Heathmont College, a government high school in Melbourne’s sprawling eastern suburbs. Students are not in their individual year groups but spread across the campus in various classrooms, years seven to 12...Read more
UNICEF launches awards for Child Friendly Cities Initiatives
This year the first-ever Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) Inspire Awards will take place. UNICEF has created these awards to celebrate good and innovative projects that improve the lives of children at the local level....Read more
Risk is an essential ingredient in children’s play
Play without risk is like a hotdog without mustard. It’s better than nothing but so much tastier when the two are together. Play without risk still has some value, but it quickly becomes rather boring....Read more
Sustainability 3.0 – i.e. what is placemaking
In June about 400 placemakers met in Valencia for Placemaking Week Europe 2019. Placemaking Week Europe is Europe’s biggest conference and festival celebrating the impact of placemaking on the urban fabric. In this article, Beata Patuszyńska...Read more
Child poverty is at a 20-year high – but in one English community, children are intervening
There are 200,000 children living in absolute poverty across the UK, according to the latest report by the Child Poverty Action Group. This means that 200,000 children live in households which don’t make the minimum...Read more