Why urban planners are finally listening to children to build better cities for everyone
In short: Adults often dismiss children as future citizens whose opinions do not matter yet. However, children make up a quarter of the population. By including them in urban design, planners are discovering that kids prioritize nature, independence, and social connection, revealing blind spots in how we build our modern environments.
Urban planner Mara Mintzer, director of the Growing Up Boulder initiative, argues that excluding children from city planning creates a significant blind spot in the built environment. While adults often prioritize economic or logistical concerns, children consistently advocate for more nature, color, and animals in their surroundings. This preference is rooted in what E.O. Wilson describes as biophilia—a biological inclination toward the natural world. By involving youth in the design process, planners can create spaces that are not only more inclusive but also more responsive to the fundamental human need for green, accessible environments.
The process of incorporating children's views varies by age. For toddlers, trained teachers observe how children interact with their surroundings, such as noting their interest in ground-level details or their tendency to run toward streets lacking physical barriers. These observations are then translated into practical design improvements. For older children and teenagers, the focus shifts toward independence and social connection. Adolescents often express a desire for public spaces where they can gather with peers while remaining visible to adults, a concept known as 'eyes on the streets.' This approach fosters community by encouraging intergenerational mixing and spontaneous social interactions.
Research by Louise Chawla and Victoria Derr suggests that this participatory approach benefits both the city and the child. Engaging youth in civic processes increases their commitment to their communities and helps foster future environmental stewardship. In a survey of sixth-grade students who participated in a city redesign, 100 percent agreed that children should be included in such processes, and 71 percent reported an increased likelihood of future civic engagement. By moving away from rigid adult frameworks, planners can leverage the inherent creativity of children to solve urban problems in novel, more human-centric ways.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: How kids can help design cities | Mara Mintzer
- Also: What Happens When Kids Help Design Our Cities
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