Municipal Maverick® | Local Gov Executive Interim & Consultant | Imagineer | Innovator | Commissioner
Advice: Making streets more child-friendly’ - Placemaking Streets need to be designed so that they are not just traffic corridors, but are social spaces where young people feel safe and can have fun. The needs of children have gained prominence recently among politicians in the UK. The The House of Commons levelling up housing and communities select committee set up in November (https://lnkd.in/eivataBR) an inquiry into how the built environment could enhance the health and wellbeing of children and young people. The committee is seeking evidence and examples from practitioners of policy and good practice that are improving children and young people’s experiences in the built environment. Below are five key ideas for making streets child friendly. 1. Consider neighbourhoods as a whole Rather than looking at individual streets, councils need to review neighbourhoods and the way children can move independently around them. #FreerangeUrbanNeighbourhoods #FUN 2. Reduce car parking and widen pavements Pavements outside the home can be the first opportunity for unsupervised exploration by younger children. Councils should look at widening them, which may involve reducing the number of car parking spaces 3. Engage and understand children Infant and primary school children can give useful insights into how their streets can be improved. Planners and civil engineers need to look at streets through the lens of children and young people. Streets feel a lot different when you’re only 95cm tall. 4. Promote play streets Residential streets should be seen as the extension of children’s home where they can play out safely. Councils can encourage communities to set up play streets by making it easier for them to get streets closed. 5. Focus on routes to school Routes to school can provide a focus for improving children’s experience of streets because there is a clear group of young people who will benefit. After school the children can continue to play on the street. School streets can become oases of play and interaction among children. Where it is not possible to close roads around schools because they are on major roads, councils should look at widening the pavements #Playce #Splace #PlayStreets #StreetPlay #SchoolStreets #FreePlay #KnowBallGames #PlaySufficiency #UNCRC 🏫🚸🌿🍁🍂🪵 🚲 🛴 🛹🛼 🛝 🏃🏼♂️🏃🏼♀️🏃🏾👩🦽🚴🏿🚏🚶🏻🤸🏾♂️🤸🏼♂️🌳🏘️
