All-Ages Urbanism: 12 Ideas for More Kid-Friendly Cities

“For far too long, many people have considered family life and urban life as being mutually exclusive,” writes Chris Bruntlett. “That trend is slowly reversing, as more and more parents choose to raise their kids in urban areas. However, city builders often fail to consider their smallest, most vulnerable users.”

Bruntlett uses examples from 12 cities across north to illustrate some simple but all-too rarely seen planning and design treatments that can make cities more fun, safe and stimulating for younger (and younger at heart) city-dwellers. Ideas Include:

• Streets as playgrounds
• Playful and plentiful crosswalks
• Activating alleyways, and
• Shared musical instruments