Cities4Children Blog

This is our platform for sharing insights, ideas for action, conversations and innovations that make cities better for children and young people.

10 Ways to Make Streets Better for ChildrenĀ 

Transformed street with colourful protected and extended sidewalks Ā© Colectivo Tomate
Inclusive MobilityIdeas4Action

Tha Urban Hub Team @ Save the Children International, May 13, 2025, 11 min

This blog highlights practical, evidence-based actions and tools and guidance to make streets safer and more inclusive for children. From safer school zones to better walkability and cycling infrastructure, it shows how design, policy, and community engagement can transform urban streets into healthier, child-friendly spaces.Ā  The Urgent Need for Safer Streets for ChildrenĀ  Road traffic Read more →

6 Examples of how data is transforming cities for children

Cities4Children Mapping blog cover image
Urban IssuesIdeas4Action

Urban Hub Team at Save the Children International, April 29, 2025, 9 min

Children in urban poor neighborhoods often face hidden inequalities in health, education, and safety that go unnoticed in citywide data. This blog highlights how cities and organizations are using localized, disaggregated data to uncover these gaps and implement targeted solutions—from mapping childcare deserts and reintegrating out-of-school children to improving air quality around schools—ultimately creating more Read more →

Mapping neighbourhoods for and with children

Mapping neighbourhoods for and with children
Inclusive Urban PlanningIdeas4Action

Urban Hub Team at Save the Children International, March 18, 2025, 8 min

Mapping with children is a powerful tool to understand their perspectives on their neighbourhoods, identify safety concerns, and highlight opportunities for improvement. This blog explores five innovative ways to map neighbourhoods with children, from creating child-friendly city maps to using drones for waste management and even mapping imaginary cities. What is mapping? Mapping tells a Read more →

Children Renature Disadvantaged Urban Neighbourhoods

Children Renature Disadvantaged Urban Neighbourhoods
Green SpacesIdeas4Action

Sudeshna Chatterjee, Louise Chawla, Deepti Talpade, Leticia Lozano, January 28, 2025, 10 min

Nearby trees, parks, gardens, green schoolyards, and other urban green spaces are not just ‘nice to have’; they are ‘need to have’ resources for health and wellbeing. This blog describes two examples of how children’s enthusiasm and creativity transform inner-city wastelands into green, inclusive community spaces. Why green spaces matter for everyone Compared to young Read more →

Children and youth at the World Urban Forum 12: Key insights and takeaways

Urban IssuesConversations about Cities

Urban Hub Team at Save the Children International and Save the Children Egypt WUF Team, December 18, 2024, 6 min

Children and youth make up the majority of urban populations. Yet, their voices and priorities and the priorities of their caregivers are often missing from urban policies, decisions, plans, and actions. The Global Alliance Cities4Children and our members made considerable strides in bringing children and youth voices and issues and solutions relevant to them to Read more →

Youth-led climate action in informal settlements

Youth-led climate action in informal settlements
YouthIdeas4Action

Mara Forbes, October 29, 2024, 5 min

Cities Alliance and Slum Dwellers International (SDI)Ā , with financial support from theĀ Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), support youth-led climate action in informal settlements across 16 countries as part of the Building Resilience in Informal Settlements Programme. Informal settlements are home to some of the fastest-growing populations in the world, where over one billion people Read more →

Where to find Cities4Children at the World Urban Forum 2024?

Urban IssuesConversations about Cities

Urban Hub Team at Save the Children International, October 24, 2024, 7 min

Where to find Cities4Children at World Urban Forum 2024? The World Urban Forum (WUF) was established in 2001 by the United Nations to examine one of the most pressing challenges facing the world today: rapid urbanisation and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change and policies. The WUF is the premier global conference on Read more →

11 actions to promote healthy cities for children

Child HealthIdeas4Action

Urban Hub Team at Save the Children International, October 1, 2024, 10 min

Pollution, heat stress, hunger and poverty are increasing in rapidly urbanising cities and towns in low-and middle-income countries, posing severe health risks to millions of children, particularly those living in slums and informal settlements. This blog identifies 11 actions that governments and other relevant stakeholders can take to promote healthy cities for all children.Ā  According Read more →

Reimagining cities for young children in India: seven key strategies

Reimagining cities for young children in India
Local GovernanceIdeas4Action

Sree Kumar Kumaraswamy, Madhura Kulkarni and Chaitali Patil, July 9, 2024, 9 min

This blog describes how the innovative Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge (NNC) is promoting healthy early childhood development across 10 cities in India. It outlines seven key urban governance strategies for working with city governments that can strengthen the planning and management of cities to create inclusive and child-friendly spaces for young children and their caregivers. With Read more →

Four examples of supporting children’s play in low-income urban neighbourhoods

International Day of Play Blog
PlayIdeas4Action

Sudeshna Chatterjee, June 11, 2024, 11 min

The International Day of Play (IDOP) on June 11th is a unifying global moment to celebrate the power of play for all children everywhere. In this first blog of a 3-part blog series, Sudeshna Chatterjee describes the importance of play for children and demonstrates how local governments, urban practitioners, NGOs and communities can collaborate to Read more →

Bicycle Mayors champion cycling-friendly and inclusive public spaces

BYCS blog cover
Inclusive MobilityPublic Space for Children

Yichen Wang, June 3, 2024, 6 min

It’s World Bicycle Day and time to celebrate pedal power! BYCS is expanding its Bicycle Mayor Network to foster more cycling-friendly cities worldwide. In this blog, Yichen Wang describes inspiring initiatives led by Bicycle Mayors worldwide, promoting cycling and inclusive public spaces. Why cycling? Cycling is one of the most inclusive, sustainable, and affordable modes Read more →

Making school streets safer for children

Road Safety

Global Designing Cities Initiative, May 28, 2024, 4 min

The Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI)Ā  is expanding its Streets for Kids program to more cities worldwide. This blog features their work in Istanbul, León, and Lima. It showcases how low-cost, relatively quick, and creative solutions can make streets safer for children and foster social life. City streets in low-and middle-income countries are increasingly unsafe, Read more →