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What would you change to make your city more child-friendly?

The 7th cohort of the Urban95 Academy arrives in London to expand city leadership with a child’s perspective

Monday 21 October marked the kick-off of the 7th cohort of the Urban95 Academy, an executive education programme from LSE Cities and the Van Leer Foundation that convenes urban leaders from different cities for an intensive week of learning and collaborating around the key question: how can we improve cities for babies, toddlers and caregivers?

The Urban95 Academy launched in 2021 and has welcomed over 260 municipalities to the course. Cohort 7 participants join a dedicated alumni network of over 900 municipal leaders committed to working towards designing urban spaces and delivering services that support young children and their caregivers to thrive.

The city teams are representing Bahia Blanca, Argentina; Balikpapan, Indonesia; Harare, Zimbabwe; Hebron, Palestine; Hyderabad, India; Londrina, Brazil; Lusaka, Zambia; Niteroi, Brazil; Sao Paulo, Brazil and Waimakariri, New Zealand and were chosen to spend a week In London at the LSE to participate in workshops and events encompassing themes including behavioural science, departmental collaboration, effective communication and change making through narrative.

The ten stand-out cities were selected to come to London to study at the LSE and to hone their plan for implementation after completing the 7-week online course and submitting a strategy proposal on how they would like to tackle an urban challenge impacting their youngest citizens.

Although the local contexts vary, there are cross-cutting challenges in the cohort around common themes like: improving green and public spaces, tackling environmental pollution and traffic congestion, and a need for more integration across governmental departments.

Some specific examples of city challenges include: Bahia Blanca, Argentina, which suffered a devastating storm, and is working to clean up and rebuild public and green spaces with a design focused on making the spaces accessible, safe and comfortable for children and caregivers.

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El Pinar Park in Bahia Blanca, which was devastated by the storm is an example of how many public spaces in the city were badly damaged and in need of regeneration. Photo courtesy: City of Bahia Blanca

In Hyderabad, India over 77% of women employed in cities work in the informal sector, often with unsafe and unsanitary conditions. The team in London are focused on addressing the lack of access to amenities like toilets and day care provision, with the aim of improving women’s mental health and the healthy development of their children.

Lusaka, Zambia is home to around 700,000 children under five years old and according to the local authority, the majority of these children lack access to early childhood services based on geographical location, socio-economic status and gender, which is deepening inequality with negative externalities like inadequate health care and nutrition.

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Children benefiting from a funded school lunch programme. The city wants to expand programmes like this one which offers free lunches to children in school. Photo Courtesy: City of Lusaka

The residence week programme began with a presentation on the latest early childhood development science by Andrea Torres, Early Childhood Expert and Director of Programme Support and Learning and the Van Leer Foundation.

Speaking to the class of 30 urban leaders Torres said:

“Connecting with others, like their parents and other caregivers, and also with their environment contributes to building healthy brains in babies, forming the foundation for lifelong development, learning, and relationships. The same goes for the connections you’ll make with your peers, both in the classroom and in the vibrant city of London. By learning from each other, you’ll unlock creativity and gain perspective on your challenges.”

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Andrea Torres, Early Childhood Expert and Director of Programme Support and Learning and the Van Leer Foundation. Photo Courtesy: Katie Beck

Across the week, course participants will explore regenerated neighbourhoods in Islington and Kings Cross led by leading experts on child-friendly urban design, play advocates and former councillors who implemented improvements.

Following the week in London, each of the teams will return home to continue their journey working withUrban95 Academy technical partners to further progress their plans for change.

Participation in the Urban95 Academy is a fully-sponsored programme with no cost to cities. Applications for cohorts starting in 2025 are now open.


This case was originally published by Katie Beck, Programme Manager of the Urban95 Academy & a Policy Fellow at LSE Cities, on the Urban95 Academy website here: What would you change to make your city more child-friendly? – Urban95 Academy