What is there to learn from ‘street experiments’?
‘Street experiments’ are becoming an increasingly helpful tool for examining how cities can be designed for people, not vehicles. This, says urban researcher Luca Bertolini, is especially relevant given the radical changes in how we...Read more
Six ways to make city streets safer for pedestrians – and children
For many city leaders, more cars and more highways mean better transportation. And during the current pandemic, fear of the spread of COVID-19 is pushing some to turn to private vehicles.Read more
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...Read more
Showcasing global examples of child-friendly urban design
An architect specialising in the design of child-friendly cities is keen to share some of the best examples of urban living the world has to offer.Read more
From my window: a view of the COVID-19 pandemic in Mumbai
Inequality is shaping how people are experiencing COVID-19 in cities to a startling degree. The vulnerability of the urban poor is striking everywhere, but the divide is more visible in some places than others.Read more
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
No need to give up on crowded cities – we can make density so much better
The idea that we should decentralise our population has come up many times in Australia. Recently, the National Farmers’ Federation president pushed the notion, calling for a shift to the regions. And the premise is...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
Helsinki and Oslo cut child pedestrian deaths to ZERO
Not a single child was killed on the roads of two Scandinavian capital cities, Oslo and Helsinki, in 2019. Such welcome news is the culmination of steady decline in road-related deaths in recent years, thanks not...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
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