We are dedicated to promoting the rights and wellbeing of children throughout Europe and beyond, by providing high quality platforms – news, blogs, papers, conferences and events – for the communities of interest working to develop good practice in the creation of genuinely child-friendly cities. Child in the City Foundation
The main objectives of the Child in the City Foundation is to strengthen
the position of children in cities, promote and protect their rights and give them space and opportunities to play and enjoy their own social and cultural lives. We do this by providing communications platforms for academics, practitioners and campaigners for children’s rights to disseminate research and good practice. One of the most important of these is the biennial (= every two years) international conference where scientists, urban planners and local authorities are brought together to share the latest knowledge. Child in the City Conference
Every two years since 2002 the Child in the City conference has been held in a different European city and attended by 200 participants. The conference is organised to enable social scientists, researchers, practitioners, politicians and city planners from all over the world to share their thoughts and develop new ideas to meet the needs of children in modern cities. Host cities have included Bruges, Stuttgart, London, Rotterdam, Florence, Zagreb and Odense. The next conference will be held in November 2016 in Ghent, Belgium. The themes of the conference explore: issues concerning children’s space and mobility; their right to play; matters affecting their health and wellbeing; and their participation in the processes to determine the city environment and services. The conference is a “high-profile” event, with previous attendance by political figures such as the then Mayor of London, Ken Livingston and the Danish Royal Princess Mary.
