Five key ‘takeaways’ from Urban95 Festival
Urban communities must themselves demand baby and toddler-friendly cities to help make them a reality, says the Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF). That’s just one of five key ‘takeaways’ from the foundation’s recent Urban95 Festival, which...Read more
Experience Tel Aviv ‘through a child’s eyes’
Tel Aviv is the latest city to be shown ‘through the eyes of a child’ thanks to the Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF). The foundation’s Urban95 project has showcased several Young Explorers films made by New...Read more
Play access in cities is critical to children’s development – report
Society has ‘an obligation to reclaim play in cities’ because of the ‘critical role’ it plays in child development and learning, says a global play rights alliance. The Real Play Coalition says the evidence is overwhelming...Read more
Help make Edinburgh a ‘smart city’, youngsters told
Schoolchildren in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, are being encouraged to show their creativity and help the city embrace a ‘smart’ future. Local businesses and organisations have teamed up for a project designed to increase the number...Read more
Empathy tools for urban leaders and designers
Urban planners are being encouraged to utilise a set of ’empathy tools’ aimed at helping them design child-friendly environments. It’s one of the latest initiatives developed by the Urban95 arm of the Bernard van Leer Foundation...Read more
Living with Beauty: reconnecting city children with nature
The introduction of orchards in cities and urban areas can ‘reconnect children with nature’, a UK government review has said. Two million trees could be planted on the streets of the nation’s towns and cities, under...Read more
What happens when kids help design our cities?
An innovative programme in Colorado is incorporating 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...Read more
That public playground is good for your kids and your wallet
If you live near a public playground it can be a convenient outdoor destination for short excursions and a life-saving source of pressure relief when the kids are too surly to bear inside the house....Read more
Stockholm students help to build a more inclusive city
Schoolchildren in Stockholm are inspiring other residents of the city to put forward innovative ideas for making the city more secure and inclusive for all citizens. The Alba Lilium project in Bredäng, a suburb where 70...Read more
Aquariums, meerkats and gaming screens: how hospital design supports children, young people and their families
Every time you take your child to the emergency department or a loved one to a mental health outpatient appointment, the very building and spaces you encounter will have been designed, for a number of...Read more
The City at Eye Level for Kids
Dutch urban design firm STIP has produced a book for children which takes a look at the city landscape from their eyes. The City at Eye Level for Kids is the result of close working between...Read more
Children ‘notable by their absence in planning policy’ – report
Children’s rights are being widely overlooked when it comes to planning policies in the UK, according to a new report. Child Friendly Planning in the UK says it is the express right of children to be...Read more
Bernard van Leer Foundation highlights new city projects
The Bernard van Leer Foundation’s Urban95 movement has been showcasing a host of new worldwide city projects benefiting local children. Udaipur in India, is the latest city to benefit from the Netherlands-based foundation, which campaigns to...Read more
The rise of Germany’s ‘play streets’
Can play streets help address the problem of dwindling playgrounds in German cities? That’s the hope of planners who want to make the urban landscape truly child-friendly People are moving to the cities but this has...Read more