Designing Australia’s largest school in Melbourne
Melbourne architects are transforming our schools, with a new inner-city learning precinct to teach children from kindergarten to university. When populations explode, meeting the community’s education needs is a challenge. As local schools reach bursting point,...Read more
The first thousand days of a child’s life determines ‘surviving or thriving’
Research shows that the brain develops the most in the first thousand days of a child’s life. Alarmingly some funders and researchers are not paying attention to this critical age group. During the Child in...Read more
The London Plan is just the start
Does the new London Plan, published last week by Mayor Sadiq Khan, herald a renewal of the UK capital’s commitments to become a genuinely child friendly city? Holly Weir, who worked on the plan for...Read more
Defending the right to play – through research, policy and design
Anticipating our international seminar on children’s play in the urban environment, which starts on Monday 6 November, keynote speaker Dr. Sukanya Krishnamurthy talks about the importance of interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration for spatial planning to become more...Read more
Is Calgary ready for child friendly urban planning?
Tim Gill reports on his recent visit to the Canadian city of Calgary, host of the International Play Association’s triennial conference, and subject of his new research project on child friendly cities. Calgary is the Canadian...Read more
How should we approach children’s participation?
In this first of a two-part reflection on a key theme of Child in the City, Rotterdam 2017, Karine van ’t Land describes one of two seemingly opposing approaches to children’s participation presented at the...Read more
Six features of family-friendly planning
In this second part of her synopsis of one of the key themes of the recent Child in the City seminar in Rotterdam, Lia Karsten identifies that the key features of successful urban planning for...Read more
Cities for children are communities for all
In these reflections on themes of the Child in the City international seminar on urban planning, held in Rotterdam in June, Lia Karsten says that urban planners and designers must respond to the needs of...Read more
Mayor urged to embrace child friendly plan for London
With his revision of the London Plan, expected later this year, the London Mayor, Sadiq Khan will set out his vision for the capital for the next ten years or more. Here Adrian Voce reports...Read more
The child as an indicator species for cities: reflections on Philadelphia
13-years ago, the British writer and researcher Tim Gill coined the term ‘battery-reared children’ to warn of the impact of poor spatial planning on modern childhoods. He has often spoken since of the need to see...Read more
Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands joins call for engagement of children in urban planning
The first in a new series of Child in the City international seminars, held in Rotterdam this week was focused on the theme of Urban Planning and Children. It featured some thought provoking talks, discussions...Read more
Would you let your child cycle here?
In this extract of an article in the Guardian by Klaus Bondam of the Danish Cyclists’ Federation, he argues that this is the question that all urban planners should be asked. “I love to cycle. I’ve got no clue...Read more
‘Space for children in a shared public realm’
An interview with Adrian Voce, President of the European Network for Child Friendly Cities – Part 1 In this fourth in our special series of interviews ahead of this month’s international seminar on Urban Planning and Children...Read more
“Develop, nurture, encourage”
In this third in our series of interviews with speakers at our forthcoming international seminar on urban planning an children, Willem van Vliet highlights the importance of the planning community engaging with stakeholders, including children and young people, beyond their professional sector. What in...Read more