Young V&A: Museum of Childhood rebrand excels at playful spaces but misses chances to go deeper
The former Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green, London, has reopened its doors as the newly styled ‘Young V&A’ after a £13m programme of reimagining. The new offering marks an effort to embed creativity into...Read more
Outdoor play: benefits, influencing factors and actual behaviour of kids
More and more municipalities are, fortunately, working on play-friendly public spaces. However, many policy visions and investments are still based on assumptions made by municipal officials or suppliers of play equipment. This is partly because...Read more
Report calls for children’s voices to be included in Australian government urban design policy
Children’s voices are missing from policies which shape the design of Australian cities.Read more
Kids who walk to school are more likely to stay active as they age
“The walk to school is a wonderful moment in the day that provides children a glimpse of living an active lifestyle,” says David Tulloch, a professor of landscape architecture at Rutgers-New Brunswick and co-author of...Read more
Cities: how urban design can make people less likely to use public spaces
Urban beautification campaigns are usually sold to local residents as a way to improve their daily lives. Design elements – from lighting systems to signs, benches, bollards, fountains and planters, and sometimes even surveillance equipment...Read more
Growing up in a city can harm your spatial skills – new research
The science fiction film Tron Legacy opens with voice of main character, Kevin Flynn, musing of a digital world of his creating: The Grid.Read more
How toddlers in Japanese cities are encouraged to roam independently
Young Japanese children portrayed in a TV show walking the city alone as they do chores shines a light on how the country’s young children are encouraged to be more independent than many of their...Read more
How to design a public play space where kids practice reading and STEM skills
A park bench can be so much more than just a place to sit and wait. Perhaps it has a puzzle built into it, or weights that allow children to make measurements.Read more
Study calls for young children’s voices to be heard in urban planning
Research carried out in New Zealand has shown that young children are – as many have already argued – ‘intuitive’ urban planners.Read more
Virtual Reality shows urban planners the world ‘through a child’s eyes’
The power of Virtual Reality is being highlighted by children’s campaigners as a way to help people see cities from a toddler’s height – and show how urban design ideas can truly benefit vulnerable children. The...Read more
Children’s views should be taken into account when designing urban space
Children see the world in a different way to adults, but urban planning policies rarely take this into account. By focusing on adult needs and views, children are often planned out of our public spaces...Read more
How ‘school streets’ could create safer, healthier cities
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, communities living in cities need cleaner air to breathe and outdoor public space to be social yet physically distanced.Read more
New Malmo school shows cities the way forward architecturally
A new high school in Malmo, Sweden, has shown how space-saving architecture can deliver the very best educational facilities in busy cities. Read more
Designing Streets for Kids guide will be ‘global benchmark’ for change
A major new design initiative aims to establish a global baseline for planning urban streets with the needs of children as number one priority.Read more