Decision makers from 44 cities have joined the third cohort of the Urban95 Academy this month to analyse how their cities measure up when it comes to support for their youngest and sometimes most vulnerable citizens.
Once they complete the programme, course participants will join a growing network of committed cities worldwide sharing knowledge to design more equitable and sustainable cities that support the needs of young children.
Through a six-week online-course, the participants will explore how the fundamental elements of urban life, such as streets, transportation, and air quality, impact the life outcomes of young urban dwellers, and how informed social and spatial interventions can have positive impacts both for young children and their carers as well as for society more widely.
After the online course, ten cities with promising ideas for local challenges facing young children and caregivers will be selected to come to London for an all-expenses paid week of intensive workshops, and site visits to hone their strategy for implementation.
The Urban95 Academy, created by the Bernard van Leer Foundation and LSE Cities at the London School of Economics and Political Science, brings together the worlds of urban planning and early childhood development to help municipal leaders examine how spatial and social policies and interventions impact young children. It has just been confirmed that the executive education programme will continue into 2023 with applications now open for future cohorts.
Istanbul Streets for Kids © Pınar Gediközer
Dr. Savvas Verdis, a senior research Fellow at LSE Cities and a co-founder of the Academy says the course’s interdisciplinarity can provide new ways of thinking holistically about urban planning: ‘With the help of our knowledge partners the Urban95 Academy is bringing together practical insights from urban design, behavioural science and systems thinking to help participants lead child-sensitive change efforts in their cities’
Current academy participants are from Alcinopolis, Brazil; Alfenas, Brazil; Antopolo, Philippines; Beer Sheeva, Israel; Beit Shemesh, Israel; Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Bidur, Nepal; Boa Vista, Brazil; Boston, USA; Canoas, Brazil; Cascavel, Brazil; Cape Town, South Africa; Cordoba, Argentina; Dubai, UAE; Gaborone, Botswana; Glavni grad Podorica, Montenegro; Guatemala City, Guatemala; Ilion, Greece; Istanbul, Turkey; Kigali, Rwanda; Kochi, India; La Pintana, Chile; Las Condes, Chile; Limache, Chile; Maceio, Brazil; Mzuzu, Malawi; Nairobi County, Kenya; Nairobi Municipal City, Kenya; New Taipei City, Taiwan; Paragominas, Brazil; Riga, Latvia; Ruiru, Kenya; San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico; Santiago, Chile; Servidan, Turkey; Sobral, Brazil; South Perth, Australia; Regional Administration and Local government Office, Tanzania; Tira, Israel; Ulaanbaatar, Mongoloa; uMhlathuz, South Africa; Uruca, Brazil; Warsaw, Poland; and Zapopan, Mexico.
The academy will continue in 2023 and applications are now open for the next cohorts. If you are interested in applying or finding out more, please visit: www.urban95academy.org