Local Governance

Rethinking children’s participation: the underappreciated role of adult catalysts

Tim Gill child participation Adult Catalist blog

In his latest blog Tim Gill describes why adult catalysts are necessary for enabling child-friendly urban environments and argues that municipal champions who understand children’s views and needs have a key role in building ambitious programmes.   Whenever children pretty much anywhere in the world are asked what they like and dislike about where they Read more →

Lessons from more than 1000 school streets

FIA Lessons from more than 1000 school streets

‘Nothing seems to change until suddenly it does,’ writes Duncan Green in his book How Change Happens. The exponential growth of school streets over the past five years powerfully illustrates how urban change can sometimes be non-linear and transformational. What are school streets? School streets are vehicle-free areas outside schools (or vehicles have severely restricted access). Read more →

Rewarding good governance for children in Brazilian cities

UNICEF-BRZ-Alessandro Potter

Can competition between cities enable them to perform better? And if yes, for whom and in what ways? Several national and international city awards have mushroomed over the years. These recognise and reward good governance practices in cities around sustainability, mobility and transport, urban design and liveability. Few awards, however, have a specific focus on Read more →

Four innovative approaches to childcare in informal settlements

Four innovative approaches to childcare in informal settlements

For millions of women and families living in poor urban areas, the lack of access to childcare services can be devastating. It can lead to lost incomes, higher caregiving burdens and psychological stress – and it affects the quality of care that children receive. Here, Anupama Nallari outlines why affordable, quality and proximate childcare services Read more →