Children and Sustainable Cities

Abstract

The role, position, and participation of children in the context of sustainable cities have become increasingly recognized at the global, city, and community scales. Numerous interlinking factors have been critical in shaping this agenda. First, there is the mounting awareness that cities were not meeting the needs of the growing population, particularly in terms of providing healthy, safe, and inclusive environments for children to grow up in. Second, the recognition of the child in the United Nations rights framework (the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989) was a driving force in the consideration of children’s rights and their participation in the design and planning of their local neighborhoods. Third, the UNICEF and UN-Habitat Child-Friendly Cities Initiative was born in 1996. This ongoing program of work supports local governments in realizing child-friendly initiatives at the local level to make cities and neighborhoods good places for children and young people to grow up. Concurrently, the UNESCO Growing Up in Cities project was revived (from its original program in the 1970s); this advocated for inviting children and young people into the planning and design process, enabling cities to develop according to the needs of all. In the early 21st century, much of the academic and policy discussion about childhood and sustainable cities is framed in the context of the child-friendly cities, the shaping of city life which suits the needs of children and young people through active, participatory planning processes. The study of children and sustainable cities is dominated by discussions around what makes a city and a place child-friendly; thus this review includes this literature in Planning for Sustainable, Child-Friendly Cities. From a policy and governance perspective, literature which addresses the global agendas of sustainable cities in relation to children is also included (Global Agendas, Policy, and Governance). Much of the rhetoric of sustainable cities is in the context of participation, how people in diverse contexts can have a role to play in city development; this is addressed in the section on Participation in the Development of Sustainable Cities. A fourth aspect is children and young people’s everyday experiences of living in sustainable urban environments, new developments which have been designed to foster environmental, social, and economic sustainability. The section on Living in a Sustainable Urban Environment (Mobility/Housing/Play) addresses some of the key literature in this field. The final aspect relates to Childhood, Urban Natures, and Sustainable Cities; a key aspect of sustainable cities relates to the role of green infrastructures in making places and cities liveable. How children and young people interact with, perceive, and experience diverse natures in the city is a growing area of research. The topic of children and sustainable cities draws on research and theory across the social sciences (and indeed the engineering sciences), the majority of which advocates for children’s rights as active citizens in their communities. Over the decades, the rhetoric of sustainable cities and children’s place within them has come a long way, and this review is a starting point for understanding the theoretical, empirical, and policy developments in this field. However, there is still much work to do, academically and in practice, to ensure that children are growing up in safe, healthy, and inclusive cities and have an active role in shaping sustainable development in their streets, neighborhoods, and communities.