As cities across Europe grow and populations flock to urban areas, inclusive urban planning becomes a requirement. Public spaces, transport systems, streets and sidewalks must be accessible not just to the able-bodied adult majority, but to the entire community, including our youngest residents. Children, often overlooked in planning decisions, experience cities in unique ways, but streets that feel safe, walkable, and welcoming for children are typically better for everyone.
Child-friendly planning, particularly when it comes to mobility networks, is emerging as a crucial strategy to build safer, more sustainable, and more liveable cities for all residents and visitors. By taking children’s specific needs into consideration, cities experience positive knock-on effects as they can promote active mobility, foster robust community life and social connections, and plan for decreased carbon emissions.
As explained by Bettina Junker, CEO of UNICEF Switzerland and Lichtenstein in the 2020 handbook Planning and designing child-friendly living spaces: «A child’s perspective often brings to light issues that adults do not recognise as such. More green spaces and more recreation and relaxation areas also give adults space to breathe. If we tackle the challenges facing children and young people posed by densification, over-protection and urbanisation, for example, then we will be taking an amazing opportunity to create more attractive spaces for everyone.»
MORE INFO: EIT Urban Mobility
IMAGES FROM: EIT Urban Mobility
