Urban Design Manual for Child and Youth Friendly Cities (CYFUD) -

Urban Design Manual for Child and Youth-Friendly Cities (CYFUD)

Tool description

The Child and Youth-Friendly Urban Design Framework (CYFUD) is a conceptual framework accompanied by flexible toolkits designed to ensure the inclusion of children and young people in urban design and planning. Building on child-centered participatory research, the manual translates child-friendly street indicators into practical design strategies.

CYFUD is not a one-size-fits-all resource; rather, it serves as the foundation for customized toolkits tailored to specific city or neighborhood projects. These toolkits may include participatory tools, activity guides, co-design methods, campaign materials, urban design guidelines, and communication resources for engaging different age groups.

Designed to support initiatives promoting child-friendly urban design, these toolkits are intentionally targeted not only at children and young people, but also at parents, educators, urban designers, and policymakers—emphasizing the shared responsibility of all stakeholders in creating inclusive, child-friendly urban environments.

Within the UP2030 project, CYFUD was adapted to meet the specific goals of two partner cities, focusing on promoting children’s active travel to school. The aim was to improve air quality around schools through activities and measures that effectively reduce car use, thereby lowering emissions in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Objectives

Design public spaces that reflect the aspirations of children and youth
Integrate young people’s voices into planning and decision-making
Facilitate bottom-up participation from young communities
Empower children and youth to take climate action and ownership of their urban future
Encourage and facilitate collaboration between city officials, designers, and communities

Expected Impact

Creates citizen-centered and sustainable public spaces
Encourages meaningful participation of all age groups in urban planning
Builds more inclusive, equitable, and accessible cities
Promotes behavioral change by embedding children’s and youth’s perspectives
Strengthens the connection between urban design and intergenerational justice

How the tool supports cities' pathways towards climate action?

The CYFUD framework supports cities in implementing just, inclusive, and participatory planning processes aligned with UP2030’s core pillars. It can be adapted for integration into pilot activities, especially where children's and youth participation and local community engagement are prioritized in the city's vision.

Partners involved

Contact details

Maria Sitzoglou

maria@design-clips.com

More information at

https://design-clips.com/child-and-youth-friendly-urban-design-cyfud/?zn_pb_edit=1

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. This project has received funding from the Horizon Innovation Actions under the grant agreement n° 101096405.