Making London Child-Friendly: Research and design advocacy report promoting child-centred urban planning
Root and Erect collaborated with Publica Studio to produce Making London Child-Friendly, a comprehensive report commissioned by the Greater London Authority’s Good Growth by Design programme. The report challenges the prevailing adult-centric model of urban design, advocating instead for cities that prioritise the rights and needs of children and young people. Central to this vision is enabling independent mobility - ensuring children can safely and freely navigate the city through accessible, well-connected routes that link high-quality public spaces. By integrating children’s voices into planning, design, and management processes, the project seeks to embed inclusivity and autonomy into London’s evolving urban fabric. Drawing on extensive research, policy analysis, and case studies from London and beyond, the report offers practical guidance for policymakers, designers, and community stakeholders on creating environments where children can thrive.
The report emphasises that child-friendly design extends beyond playgrounds to encompass everyday experiences - safe routes to school, welcoming high streets, clean air, and spaces where young Londoners feel visible and valued. It highlights the critical intersection of policy, design, participation, and management in shaping environments that support wellbeing and social inclusion across generations.
Addressing challenges like restricted mobility and a lack of engaging public spaces, the report proposes scalable, evidence-based recommendations that promote playful exploration and a strong sense of belonging. Ultimately, Making London Child-Friendly positions children’s needs as essential to building a healthier, more resilient, and inclusive London that benefits all its inhabitants.
The full report can be read here.
“For children and young people, the rights to play, to gather and to participate in decisions that influence them are enshrined in the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child. Although it can be helpful to talk about the benefits that their physical presence outdoors might bring to a community, such as reducing obesity and increasing safety, children’s independent mobility is a right in itself, rather than a means to other outcomes. There is real value in movement for movement’s sake, even if it's just cycling around the block. We need to better understand how children use space to get around; by ignoring the ways they behave we do them and society a great disservice.”
Dinah Bornat, Mayor's Design Advocate and 'Young People and The City' Sounding Board Chair
“A London that works well for children and young people will be a London that works well for all of us. Whether at the scale of the street, the neighbourhood or the city, we must move away from an approach that is just about ‘play provision’ and embrace the potential of London’s urban environment to plan and design spaces that put children and young people first”
Joanne McCartney, AM, Deputy Mayor for Education & Childcare, and Jules Pipe, Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration & Skills