A group of concerned experts in the fields of spatial planning and design development, child-orientated policy development and children’s participation in civic processes have compiled a practice note in response to the question: How does children’s participation in spatial planning and design development processes help shape the future form of our towns and cities? ThinkChild+PlanChild which offers practical guidelines for thinking of the future of our cities and towns with children and the adults they might become in mind. The practice note makes the case for considering children in planning and design and considers the different degrees to which children’s participation might be facilitated in these processes. It compiles a host of international examples of child-orientated planning and design programmes and provides a summary and analysis of initiatives local to South Africa. The practice note concludes with a toolkit of resources for actioning child-friendly planning and design. This resource is aimed at government officials and private sector professionals in the built environment sector and its authors hope to see it widely shared and put to practical use. This category in our website is also host to a variety of similarly aligned projects.
Included here is the project Website launched in 2022 which details various approaches and case studies in design thinking with children informed by the principles of child citizenry. www.imageofthechild.co.za
