The Research Problem
The aim of this project is to investigate how urban density impacts children’s health and well-being, with the ultimate goal of developing a “Designing Densely for Children Toolkit.”
As cities rapidly urbanize, they are becoming denser, often without sufficient understanding of how this impacts public health, particularly for children, who make up 27% of the global population. Dense urban environments often lead to reduced green spaces and fewer opportunities for independent child mobility, which can pose significant challenges to children’s physical and mental health, cognitive and social development, learning, their right to play, and overall well-being.
Research Design
This WUN project will address the critical research gap on how urban density, specifically factors such as building height, typology, and green space availability, impacts children’s health and well-being. Building on the team’s previous work since 2022, this project will advance the findings by operationalizing them through transnational GIS analyses and a pilot study in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The result will be the development of the “Designing Densely for Children Toolkit,” offering an evidence-based framework and practical checklists tailored to different densities and contexts. This toolkit will support urban planners and policymakers to design healthier, more child-friendly, and inclusive urban environments in response to rapid urbanization.
Project Objectives
The global and interdisciplinary nature of the team, spanning seven countries and 9 universities, is a crucial element in ensuring the project’s transnational relevance. By understanding the varied impacts of density across different cultural and geographic contexts, this project aims to contribute to a broader, globally applicable solution for improving children’s well-being in densely populated cities.
