Katie Beck, Policy Fellow and ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ Cities and Marie Kaune, Researcher at ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ Cities were invited to represent the Urban95 Academy at the House of Lords for the launch of a new Policy report 'Raising the healthiest generation in history: why it matters where young people live'. The report includes recommendations and an evidence review from the Levelling UP Housing and Communities Committee inquiry into children, young people and the built environment.
The report was authored by Gemma Hyde of the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) who is an alumnus of the Urban95 Academy, with contributions from Urban95 Academy knowledge and technical partners: Dinah Borat and Tim Gill as well as Playing Out and Fields in Trust.
The report highlights key evidence and lays out six recommendations to achieve more child-friendly policies and places:
- Establish a national leadership for children and young people's wellbeing
- Prioritise opportunities for play
- Enhance access to nature and green spaces where children and young people feel welcome
- Change policy and practice to prioritise the creation of child-friendly places, spaces and communities
- Commit to a spatial justice approach to transport and mobility
- Provide all children and young people with a secure, high quality home.
The report was introduced by Ian Byrne MP, whose comments focused on the power of the evidence collected through the process on the committee, and the importance of the environments children grow up in.
The excerpt below elucidates the central argument of the report which can be read in full .
"There is an opportunity to transform the health of our young children and young people, and in doing so the future of society. To do this we don't need to spend more money, but rather we need to make different choices,. We need to choose to prioritise children's and young people's needs and wellbeing, commit to the pursuit of their rights and hearing their voices, and adopt a child lens in national and local policy making and decision making"