Child-Friendly Cities: Designing Inclusive Urban Spaces for All

How does designing with children in mind create cities that work for all? Join us on Thursday, 16 January 2025, for a practical webinar where we explore how urban design can prioritize the needs of children while creating inclusive spaces that benefit everyone in the community. Hosted by All Things Urban in partnership with UMX by EIT Urban Mobility, this session will highlight innovative approaches to urban planning that foster health, safety, and joy for everyone in the city. 

Speakers:

• Carlota Saenz de Tejada, Postdoctoral Researcher at ISGlobal Urban Planning, Environment and Health Initiative, will provide insights into how health and resilience can be integrated into urban planning through international projects, emphasizing inclusive designs that cater to all ages.
• Magali Thomson, Project Lead for Placemaking at Great Ormond Street Hospital, will share her transformative strategies for the public realm around hospitals, focusing on creating child-friendly, yet universally accessible urban spaces.

What You Will Learn:

• The importance of designing urban spaces with children’s health and joy in mind, while ensuring inclusivity for all community members.
• Case studies of urban interventions from hospital surroundings to broader public spaces that prioritize accessibility and environmental health.
• Techniques and strategies for applying these principles in various urban contexts to enhance universal design.

Moderator:

• Nayla Saniour, known for her dynamic moderation style, will facilitate the discussion, encouraging a lively and informative exchange of ideas among speakers and participants.

This webinar is designed for urban planners, architects, policymakers, and public health professionals, as well as anyone interested in how urban spaces can be optimized for the well-being of children and the broader community. Register today to be part of shaping more inclusive and joyful urban futures!

🎥 Can't join live? No worries, a recording will be sent to all registered participants afterwards.

Continue Your Learning Journey: Interested in deepening your knowledge on creating child-friendly urban spaces? Enroll in the free course "Streets for Kids: Urban Spaces for Children to Grow" offered by UMX by EIT Urban Mobility. Led by Carlota Saenz de Tejada, this course provides insights and tools to design streets that prioritize kids with safe crossings, play areas, and green spaces. Find out more and enroll here.

🌐 Urban Mobility Explained (UMX) by EIT Urban Mobility helps professionals like you elevate your skills and become urban mobility insiders. Supported by a vast network of over 750 top European entities and experts, UMX offers diverse educational resources to keep you ahead in your career. Sign up to their page on LinkedIn to stay updated!

Sponsored by EIT Urban Mobility, this webinar aimed to drive meaningful conversations on inclusive urban mobility.

🎤 About Speakers:

Carlota Saenz de Tejada, Postdoctoral Researcher at ISGlobal Urban Planning, Environment and Health Initiative. With a background in Architecture and Urban Planning, she has participated in several national and international projects on housing and health, informal settlements, and on urban planning strategies for health and resilience; collaborating, among others, with the Barcelona Provincial Council, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and the World Health Organization (WHO).She is a collaborating professor at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) in the Official Master's Degree in Planetary Health, and actively participates in training and scientific outreach activities on healthy urban planning and design.

Magali Thomson RIBA , Project Lead for Placemaking at Great Ormond Street Hospital 

Magali is an architect working at GOSH, leading a transformational approach to public realm as an integral part of the planning process for Great Ormond Street's new Children's Cancer Centre. She is setting out vision to radically transform a polluted and traffic dominated urban street next to the children’s hospital. The vision is for a climate resilient, healthy and child-friendly street.

Magali has also recently completed her studies at the London School of Economics, carrying out an MSc in Cities and graduating with a Distinction. This is a step towards following her passion for cities, and spaces in between buildings, especially in relation to children and older people.  Previously Magali worked for 14 years at Marks Barfield Architects where she was a director and specialised in education projects.