Letters from children provide insights into the child friendly city
Children’s letters on what they find to be a child-friendly city can guide urban planning and enhance a spatially oriented understanding of children and politics. The child’s right to participation suggests encompassing children’s views as a...Read more
Gangmakers & Koplopers — children exploring, experiencing and imagining urban pathways
Gangmakers & Koplopers (Pace-setters & Front-runners) is a one-year pilot project currently running in various neighbourhoods in Ghent, Belgium. During a series of playful art and design workshops, various groups of children explore, experience and...Read more
Green goes to school – the participatory approach
In the last thirty years, a lot of schoolyards in Berlin have changed their aspect, becoming places where children can spend their free time in a beneficial way, developing their confidence and self-esteem without the...Read more
New Children’s Rights Strategy (2016-2021) brings new hope for children in Europe
In March 2016 the Council of Europe adopted its latest Children’s Rights Strategy (2016-2021). Focusing on a brand new set of priority areas, this Strategy is currently the only strategic document on children’s rights since...Read more
Italian school children participate in designing of a new schoolyard “PortaColori”
The ‘Portacolori’ – a play space located in the primary school in the Monte Rosello neighbourhood of Sassari, Italy – is the outcome of a real and complex participatory design process. The project involved the...Read more
The ‘Ibtasem’ Playground – 5 steps to designing a successful child friendly space
Syrian children fleeing to neighbouring countries add up to more than half of the total refugees. Therefore, there is a need for designing playgrounds to facilitate these children’s developmental needs. The ‘Ibtasem’ playground is a...Read more
Research highlights benefits of children’s involvement in design
A 3-year research project entitled: “Children Transforming Spatial Design: Creative Encounters with Children”, aims to identify the benefits of the interactions between the designer and the child during the planning process. The research is conducted...Read more
EU Child Poverty Report triggers call for action
An influential committee of the European Parliament has issued a call for action on child poverty and social exclusion, following the release of a worrying new report that these are both on the increase in...Read more
How participatory planning helps children in school
School education plays a significant role in the personal and social development of a child. However, nowadays, it tends to focus more on strengthening the academic skills and less on emphasising the human values and...Read more