Children make up a third of the world’s urban population – but that would never be obvious by the way our cities are designed and function. In most places, accommodating the proliferation of private cars has taken precedence over children’s well-being and development. Road collisions threaten their everyday safety, poor air quality diminishes their health, and the looming dangers of catastrophic climate change calls their very future into question. According to UNICEF, two billion children are highly exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution; and if we keep burning fossil fuels, this will only get worse. But by bringing inclusive sustainable transportation and child-centered urban development to the forefront, we can turn our cities into places where children thrive.

By transforming our cities into urban spaces that prioritize the needs of children, we can also make meaningful strides in the fight against climate change. Making our cities more walkable  and schools and services more accessible through compact development, we can make streets our most abundant public space. With more expansive public transit systems and flexible options for travel, we can significantly reduce emissions and support urban resilience, health, and overall quality of life. Cities and transport systems that are responsive and inclusive to the needs of babies, toddlers, and caregivers are better for everyone.

Safe Routes to School in Mexico

Road traffic deaths and injuries are one of the most tragic and preventable health issues affecting youth in cities around the world today. In Mexico, ITDP is working with government and community partners to make streets around local schools safer and reduce harmful emissions and air pollution. By introducing speed humps and sidewalk extensions, reducing city speed limits, and enforcing automatic ticketing, we can turn school zones and other places where children and youth walk and bicycle into more people-oriented environments. We need more policies that transform the way children and all people interact in their city streets – but we can’t do it without you.

Pune Puts Children First

 With support from ITDP, Pune, India has emerged as a leader in centering street design around children and their caregivers. Through its Complete Streets work, which prioritizes people over cars, Pune has retrofitted over 150 kilometers of footpaths along major streets to give pedestrians safe passage. From pedestrian islands, which give children more time to cross the street, to equipping streets with benches, and wide sidewalks, there is still so much to be done. We need your help now to bring child friendly infrastructure to other parts of India and the world to further prioritize pedestrian safety and benefit residents for decades to come.

Public Transit that Works for All in Jakarta

Strong, extensive public transit systems can serve as the backbone of a city and a proven solution in drawing down harmful climate emissions. But women, children, and caregivers still face greater challenges in accessing work, educational, and leisure opportunities due to disconnected routes, overcrowding, and dangerous conditions. To tackle accessibility challenges, ITDP is working in Jakarta, Indonesia to improve its bus rapid transit system by scaling up the deployment of clean, electric buses, with a particular focus on improving access for children, women, people with disabilities, and low-income groups. Join ITDP in our efforts to expand and innovate public transit systems in cities around the world as a means to elevate the needs of children and protect the environment.