Urban Playground: How child-friendly planning and design can save cities

Children are an indicator species for cities: so says Enrique Penalosa, the transformative former mayor of Bogota. The session will flesh out this maxim, showing how child-friendly planning and design boosts the case for healthy, sustainable, joyful neighbourhoods, towns and cities. Drawing on Tim Gill’s new book Urban Playground, it will set out the basic idea, values and principles of the approach. Focusing on four basic building blocks - streets, walking/cycling networks, public space and housing design - and how they can enhance children's spatial freedoms, Tim will share insights from schemes, cities and initiatives around the world.