In this episode, we discussed how children’s independence, health and mobility has been steadily eroded over decades of car dominance, with the central question of ‘how do we put children at the heart of transport planning?’

The conversation touched upon how and why children’s mobility has changed over time, and the impact this had had on children’s lives; what does the data (or lack of) tell us about where, how and why children travel today; and which cities are leading the way on becoming truly child friendly.

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About the panel

Tim Gill is a global advocate for children’s outdoor play and mobility, and an independent scholar, writer and consultant. He is the author of Urban Playground: How child-friendly planning and design can save cities and No Fear: Growing up in a risk-averse society.

Tim is a Design Council Ambassador and Churchill Fellow, and former director of the Children’s Play Council (now Play England). His client list includes Argent, London Legacy Development Corporation, Mayor of London/GLA and National Trust. He is the founding patron of the Forest School Association. His website is www.rethinkingchildhood.com.

Lucy Marstrand is Technical Lead for Walking and Cycling at Metis Consultants. She provides policy, planning and design advice on walking, cycling, urban design, and road danger reduction to authorities across the UK.

Lucy runs walking and cycling design training sessions and is a guest lecturer on the Transport Planning MSc at the University of Westminster. She is a member of the Department for Transport’s Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Group and was on the Department for Transport's Expert Steering Group for the national cycle design guidance with a focus on designing for all, particularly children.

Rebecca Fuller is Assistant Director at Urban Transport Group and works to make the case for the right policies in urban transport and related areas to support inclusive and sustainable growth.

Rebecca is passionate about the potential of public transport, walking and cycling to promote social inclusion, access to opportunities and health. She is policy lead for UTG on social inclusion, children and young people, public health, new mobility and cross-sector working. Prior to joining Urban Transport Group, Rebecca worked in social policy research for a consultancy company.

Show notes

• Tim Gill (2021) Urban Playground: How child-friendly planning and design can save cities 
• Lucy Marstrand-Taussig (2021) Do inclusive transport strategies really consider the needs of all? 
• Mayer Hillman, John Adams and John Whitelegg  (1990) One false move…A study of Children’s Independent Mobility 
• Arup (2017) Cities Alive: Designing for Urban Childhoods 
• Tim Gill (2007) No Fear: Growing up in a risk averse society 

Further reading on child friendly cities around the world:

• Tim Gill (2018) How a focus on child-friendliness revived one city’s fortunes (Rotterdam) 
• Tim Gill (2019) Why one city is undergoing a child-friendly revolution (Tirana)
• Laura Laker (2018) What would the ultimate child-friendly city look like?