What would our streets and spaces look like if we let children set the design brief? Could following a more child-centred approach help us deliver safer, more sustainable, inclusive and healthy streets in the future? Over the past year, CIHT has been working with school children in Leeds to explore this question and understand whether highways and transport professionals have the tools and techniques to create more child friendly streets. This session will explore the findings of the study and discuss some wider trends from across the built environment that underline the importance of planning and designing with children in mind, ahead of the publication of a CIHT paper on Child Friendly Streets and Spaces in September.

What You’ll Learn

• Designing with children in mind: Why child-centred approaches matter for creating safer, healthier, more inclusive and sustainable streets and public spaces
• Lessons from Leeds: Key findings from CIHT’s work with school children, and what they reveal about the tools and techniques used by highways and transport professionals today
• Looking ahead to Child Friendly Streets: Wider trends across the built environment, and how planning and design can better reflect the needs and experiences of children

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the session, you’ll understand:

• How child-centred design approaches can support safer, healthier and more inclusive streets and public spaces
• What CIHT’s research with school children in Leeds reveals about current highways and transport planning practices
• How built environment professionals can better plan and design streets and spaces with children’s needs and experiences in mind

Why attend?

• Free to CIHT Members
• Excellent CPD opportunity
• Explore the benefits of a child-centred design approach
• Interactive Q&A with industry expert  

Who is this masterclass for?

Whether you are a built environment professional or just interested in exploring the benefits of a child-centred design approach, this masterclass is an incredible opportunity to learn more. This masterclass is open to all CIHT members, CIHT partner employees, BCoE members and non-members. This masterclass is free for all CIHT and BCoE members to attend and is charged for CIHT Partner Employees and non-members.  

Speaker details 

Ed Downer, Associate Transport Planner at ITP by Haskoning 

Ed Downer is a chartered transport planning professional who has worked across the north of England over the past twenty years. He is immediate past chair of the Yorkshire and the Humber region and coordinated the Child Friendly Streets and Spaces initiative in Leeds, working with STEM Ambassadors and Leeds City Council to engage nearly 250 children about their local streets.