Towards the Child Friendly City conference
APiC supported the delivery of a landmark international conference, held in November 2019 in Bristol.
Project
APiC participated in a new international conference on children’s rights in the built environment, held in Bristol on 27-29 November 2019.
As children take centre stage in the movement for sustainable living, this event offered an opportunity to explore how the public realm is responding.
The three-day international conference was attended by people around the world who are engaged in research, policy and practice in the built environment sectors; practitioners and advocates working with children and young people to champion their rights as citizens and stakeholders in shared public space; and developers and planners who want to meet the needs of their youngest residents.
Partners
Hosted by Bristol City Council and curated by the European Network for Child Friendly Cities and partners, including Playing Out, the Universities of Bristol and Bath Spa and the Architecture Centre.
About the event
A cutting-edge programme: The programme highlighted the latest research, policy initiatives and practice innovations from the range of sectors impacting on children in the urban environment, including planning, traffic, transport and housing, as well as play, youth, parks and leisure. This included a rich mix of keynote speakers, expert panels – including children and young people (the real experts) – engaging workshops and inspiring field trips and some great networking opportunities.
An international network: The European Network for Child Friendly Cities was the sector specialist partner in the international Child in the City conferences until 2017, curating events in cities such as London, Florence, Rotterdam and Zagreb. Towards the Child Friendly City is the first in the network’s new series of independent, not-for-profit events.
A child-friendly host city: The event was staged in Bristol, home of some extraordinary child-friendly initiatives and environments. Already well known for its commitment to street play, adventure playgrounds, child-friendly cultural centres, and its new children’s charter, the City of Bristol was the ideal host city for this first in a new series of world conferences dedicated to advancing children’s rights in the built environment.