WHO Urges Cities to Redesign Streets and Parks for Children’s Health

The Guide to Creating Urban Public SPACES for Children provides practical, evidence-based guidance to help cities redesign streets, parks and public places so they are safer, more inclusive and more resilient.

As cities expand at unprecedented speed, children are increasingly being squeezed out of the public spaces essential for healthy growth, play, and connection. A new global guide released today by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and UN-Habitat is calling on governments and city leaders to put children at the centre of urban design—warning that without urgent action, cities risk undermining the health and wellbeing of future generations.

The Guide to Creating Urban Public SPACES for Children provides practical, evidence-based guidance to help cities redesign streets, parks and public places so they are safer, more inclusive and more resilient. The framework aligns child-friendly urban design with broader goals around equity, climate adaptation and healthier city living.

The challenge is stark. Globally, only 44 percent of urban residents live near an open public space. In low- and middle-income countries, that figure drops to just 30 percent—leaving millions of children without safe places to move, play or connect. Traffic, air pollution, overcrowding and climate-related hazards are increasingly restricting children’s freedom and development.

“Access to safe, inclusive public space is directly linked to children’s health, development, learning and social ties—and it is a child’s right,” says Dr Etienne Krug, Director of the WHO Department for Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention.

For urban planners, policymakers and civic-tech innovators, the guide positions child-centred design as a systems-level intervention—one that improves outcomes not only for children, but for entire communities.

The guide draws on global evidence, expert input, consultations with children, and real-world city examples across diverse regions. It introduces SPACES, a practical framework built around six core principles:

• Safety

• Play

• Access

• Child Health

• Equity

• Sustainability

“These principles show how child-centred urban areas can fulfil the right to play while accelerating progress toward safe, accessible public spaces for everyone by 2030,” says Dr Nathalie Roebbel, WHO Technical Lead for Urban Health.

Key calls to action include:

• Reducing safety risks through traffic calming, safe crossings, lighting and secure routes to schools and parks

• Embedding play opportunities across all public spaces, including streets and neighbourhood areas

• Prioritising investment in low-income, high-density and informal settlements using spatial data and mapping

• Ensuring clean air, shade, cooling, safe materials and protection from climate-related hazards

• Promoting equity through universal design, community participation and barrier-free access

• Strengthening climate resilience by expanding green and blue infrastructure and reusing underutilised land

With over 55 percent of the world’s population already living in urban areas—a figure expected to reach 68 percent by 2050—the guide argues that decisions made today will define health outcomes for decades to come. Most future urban growth will occur in developing countries, creating a narrow but powerful window to embed child-friendly design at scale.

Call to action: design cities for the youngest users first

WHO, UNICEF and UN-Habitat are urging governments, city leaders, urban designers, technologists and civil society to adopt the SPACES framework and rethink how data, design and policy can work together to create healthier, more inclusive cities.

Designing cities for children, the agencies say, is not a niche investment—it is a future-proofing strategy for resilient, equitable urban life.