Engaging children in city resilience

Image source: Maria Sitzoglou – Resilient Thessaloniki

Overview

A resilient city is an open, just, and adaptable city prepared to respond to challenges that might occur while being capable of enabling its citizens, especially children, to thrive. A resilient city demonstrates inclusive decision-making processes, integrated systems, and resourceful plans. Thessaloniki designed a range of action plans aimed at embedding children’s rights into decision-making processes and urban planning approaches. By elevating the position of the child in the city’s agenda, the intervention urged for an institutional shift by primarily raising awareness of the importance of the issue and ensuring acceptance of the child as an equal citizen.

Location:
Thessaloniki, Greece

Organisation:
Municipality of Thessaloniki

Partner organisations:
100 Resilient Cities Network, Thessaloniki Child Friendly City Advisor: Maria Sitzoglou, World Bank, GFDRR.

Beneficiary:
Children 0-5, Children 5+, Caregivers

Scale of proximity:
City

Built environment component:
Planning Policy

Implementation insights

Child friendliness can be a driver for urban resilience as it is a cross-cutting theme. Thinking through the child’s perspective provides innovative and resourceful solutions.

Gaining the “political will” to ensure awareness and secure funding

Achieving cross sector engagement and multi-stakeholder partnerships

Designing communication tools to translate children’s ideas into “adult language”

Discovering where mutual interests between different stakeholders lie

Recognising the time needed for institutional and cultural shifts

Links:

https://thecityateyelevel.com/app/uploads/2019/06/eBook_CAEL_Kids_Book_Design_Kidsgecomprimeerd.pdf

https://www.arup.com/perspectives/publications/research/section/thessaloniki-resilience-strategy

https://www.100resilientcities.org/cities/thessaloniki/

https://www.gfdrr.org/en/feature-story/citizen-engagement-and-open-data-disaster-risk-reduction-thessaloniki

Organisation
Region
Intervention Type
Dimensions
Scales of proximity
Design guide phases

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