City designers looking to unlock kids’ creative visions

Architects are unlocking the creativity of children to help redesign and give colour to visions of cities beyond the coronavirus measures.

Whether it’s amazing skyscrapers or sprawling green spaces, children are creating their own cities while under lockdown, using the designs of a British architecture studio.

Devised by Foster + Partners, the project includes drawing trees and building skyscrapers from paper cut outs, and aims to get children to think about how they interact with the world around them, including the importance of soothing parks and gardens.

‘The value of educating and enthusing children’

Katy Harris, of Foster + Partners, said: “We know the value of educating and enthusing children with architecture and their built environment from an early age,” reports the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “How we design the buildings that we live in and work is important…they can affect the way we live and our wellbeing.” Foster + Partners is responsible for many famous landmarks, including London’s City Hall, nicknamed The Onion.

The firms is planning to create 10 tasks to inspire children and unlock their creativity, helping to keep them busy during coronavirus lockdowns. Submissions have already been received by youngsters in Australia, Canada, Cambodia and Spain.

Across the Atlantic meanwhile, another architectural firm, Gensler, has designed a free online colouring book featuring a variety of popular landmarks in cities across the US state of Texas, including the Dallas County Records Building and the Frisco Public Library. Gensler said its ‘Amazing Cities’ activity, which also includes images of Austin, Houston and San Antonio, aimed to give a glimpse into the processes behind architectural design, while also providing a creative escape for kids, students and any colouring fans.

‘Educate and inspire’

Gerardo Gandy, Associate at Gensler, said: “In the wak of recent COVID-19 events, we’e been channelling our creative energy into finding a way to educate and inspire people of all ages during these challenging times – we hope this series allows the public, especially young minds, to use their creativity and imagination,” reports D Magazine.

The children’s colouring book series, ‘Amazing Cities Kids’, features nearly 200 pages of Gensler’s projects, designs and sketches. It can be downloaded for digital paperless colouring on a phone, laptop or tablet. Youngsters can also print out the sheets for traditional colouring, though the firm is encouraging responsible printing in order to save paper.