New publication on engaging children and families in city building

The 8 80 cities project in partnership with the Bernard van Leer Foundation and Urban 95 has published a new report on the participation and engagement of children, young people and their families in creating more child and family friendly cities.

The 8 80 cities project – together with the private charitable foundation, the Bernard van Leer Foundation and its
Urban 95 programme – has published its report, Building Better Cities with Young Children and Families, which its
says is a guide to ‘engaging our youngest citizens and families in city building’, containing a ‘global scan of best practices’.

‘For the most part, the voices of young children, their parents and caregivers, and pregnant women have been underrepresented in traditional city building processes’

Research

Introducing the guide, the 8 80 partnership says: ‘For the most part, the voices of young children, their parents and caregivers, and pregnant women have been underrepresented in traditional city building processes and overall civic engagement strategies. Using a mix of background research, place-based research and interviews with researchers, practitioners, policy makers and thought leaders, this resource document compiles learning about tactics, strategies and principles for engaging these groups, with snapshots and case studies of innovative and interesting projects’.

8 80 Cities set out to compile pioneering examples of inclusive civic engagement processes with families and caregivers with young children; proven strategies to include the perspectives of young children, their parents and caregivers, and pregnant women in city planning; and key engagement principles to consider when working with these target groups.

Source: Bernard van Leer Foundation
Photo: Ronn aka “Blue” Aldaman


Building Better Cities with Young Children and Families

The Bernard van Leer Foundation is a private foundation ‘focused on developing and sharing knowledge about what works in early childhood development. It provides financial support and expertise to partners in government, civil society and business to help test and scale effective services for young children and families’.


8 80 Cities
is a non-profit organisation ‘bringing citizens together to enhance mobility and public space so that together we can create more vibrant, healthy, and equitable communities’.

Author: Adrian Voce

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