If current trends continue, the future of humankind is in cities, and urban childhoods are set to become the global norm. Yet, as they grow, few cities work well for their inhabitants.Ā Too many – in high-, middle- and low-income countries – are polluted, car-dominated and inequitable. How might we improve the built form of cities Read more ā
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Ahead of this year’s International Day of Happiness, we take a look at what can make cities happy places, and what urban planners and those in power can do to bring moreĀ joy and life to cities. Cities are rarely depicted as happy places. In films, theyāre either overcrowded and full of stressed people dodging Read more ā
What if everything we did in our cities had to work for both an eight-year-old, and an eighty-year-old? Thatās the premise behind Gil Penalosaās work, founder and chair of 8 80 Cities, who has worked in many cities worldwide as an urban planner. Every week he invites guests to speak about cities, parks and green Read more ā
We speak to Tim Gill, the founder of Rethinking Childhood and author of bestselling RIBA book Urban Playground: How Child-Friendly Planning and Design Can Save Cities, about how he thinks children should be able to access cities as part of our Ask an Expert series. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?Ā Iām Read more ā
We interviewed Pooja Rai, the co-founder and CEO of Anthill Creations, to ask her about her journey to improve the lives of children through building hundreds of playgrounds across India. āSince starting Anthill Creations seven years ago, Iāve learned that mindsets can be changed simply by showing examples,ā says Pooja Rai, co-founder and CEO of Read more ā
How tactical urbanism can transform the way children use the city Planned development takes time, and proposed changes may be sluggish to implement, often challenged by bureaucratic powers that deny cities the opportunity to āget things doneā. Sometimes cities need an injection of tactical urbanism to transform urban use and improve the way of life Read more ā
We often look at whatās wrong in slums and informal settlements. Here, I draw attention instead to one of their assets: the common space outside peopleās homes. I explore its importance for childrenās play and development, while unpacking the fluidity and changing nature of these spaces. And as increasing competition for their use leaves less Read more ā