More than half of the global population currently lives in cities, presenting a challenge for urban planners and professionals in urban management and design. One of the most significant elements of this landscape is public space—including parks, plazas, esplanades, boulevards, and streets—where everyone has the right to be and move freely. These spaces function as meeting points where cultural, social, economic, and informational exchanges converge.
“The city allows one to see without being seen and to be seen without seeing,” cultural critic Serge Daney once noted. Within this invisibility, there are citizens who are often excluded from the design of public spaces: young children. While city life can present difficulties for young children and their caregivers (mothers, grandmothers, aunts, etc.), it can also provide an ideal environment for learning. According to Cecilia Vaca Jones, former executive director of the Bernard van Leer Foundation, “cities have the potential to promote a healthy and prosperous life for our children and their caregivers. Proper urban design can be an innovative response that contributes to child development.”
