Regensburg: A Visit to a Child Friendly City
A few months ago, I wrote about the concept of the Child Friendly City—a reality for more than 3,000 cities around the world (just not in the United States—yet). As we hear more about the incorporation of children’s cabinets at the municipal level, and encourage local and state governments to create children’s ombudsmen whose primary job is thinking about the well-being and prioritization of kids, I’d like to share my firsthand experience in a child friendly city. While I’ll detail what I saw and learned, there are child friendly cities in 38 countries—perhaps you might enjoy visiting one too (find a city here).
In mid-October, I was invited to Cologne, Germany to attend the first-ever Child Friendly Cities Summit—a meeting of civic leaders, advocates, and young people committed to building communities and advancing child rights as outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. More than 600 attendees traveled to Cologne from more than 250 cities around the world, including 80 mayors and many children, who together developed the first Child Friendly Cities Child & Youth Manifesto. I was honored to join the United States delegation, which included youth representatives from Brooklyn and Houston. Together, we celebrated a commitment to child rights through the Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI), identified and exchanged best practices, and discussed ways to advance child rights through local commitment and action.
Prior to the start of the Summit’s technical discussions, I participated in a study visit to Regensburg, the “best-preserved Medieval town”—and oldest Child Friendly City—in Bavaria. The purpose of the visit was to give a first-hand look at the working projects of a child friendly city and a chance to speak with local professionals working with children and young people. The deeply impactful experience left me with renewed perspective of how, when young people are prioritized and decisions for their well-being are intentional, kids (and communities) thrive.
Regensburg is among the oldest and fastest-growing cities in Germany. With a population of more than 168,000, it is home to three universities, subdivided into 18 boroughs, and boasts a dynamic economy (technology and automotive production are the largest sectors). The city gained status as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2006.
The underpinning of the CFCI is the Convention of the Rights of the Child and upholding child rights is a central tenet of thriving kids within the community; we talk about best practices in theory, so it was powerful to see the Convention come to life as we toured the city:
Youth Centers: Regensburg currently has five youth centers with plans for a sixth by the end of 2020. The centers are open from 3-9 pm and provide spaces for kids to hang out; one of the key messages conveyed is that the centers and surrounding areas are places for kids to just be kids without constant adult supervision. As such, the centers are not fenced in and kids and teens are free to use these outside spaces at any time, even when the center itself is closed. Social workers are available for kids and there is a facilities person at each center, but aside from that, centers are adult- (and parent-) free zones. Kids have agency to make most decisions—one center I saw had a skate and BMX park, and a recording studio—and are responsible for the center’s décor and upkeep. During the summer, kids can attend field trips for a nominal cost, but the daily use of the centers is free. I was told that between 60-175 kids/day visit a center!
Parks and Open Space: Regensburg suffered little damage during World War II and most of its pre-war buildings, especially in Old Town, are well-preserved. However, I saw several hundred acres of greenspace, especially near the University of Regensburg, for kids to run, ride bikes and scooters, and play outside. Throughout, there are walking and hiking trails and clean parks with signs showing the Child Friendly Cities logo and pictures of child rights.
Playgrounds: The all-inclusive playgrounds for elementary-aged children and teens have all been planned with child and teen participation. Regensburg has approximately 130 public playgrounds with new ones added each year. The city tries to provide playgrounds such that children in every neighborhood find at least one attractive public playground within walking distance. For many years the city let children and teens successfully participate in the planning process, so playgrounds are very unique, interesting, and exciting for kids. The Regensburg city website includes information about all the playgrounds so families know where they are and how to find them.
“Emergency Islands” project: This program engages a network of businesses, such as bakers, banks, hairdressers, pharmacies, schools, and other public institutions, that serve as open doors for children who run into trouble or need assistance while they are independently out and about. Regensburg officials recognize that sometimes children face issues such as quarrels with other kids at the bus stop, encounters with threatening dogs, scraped knees in need of band-aids, or lost wallets en route to school. Emergency Islands are meant to act as a providers of practical care, in the rare instances when kids need them. When contrasted with what we might see in the U.S., the presence of Emergency Islands also promotes the Regensburg child’s independence and discourages “helicopter” parenting.
Means-tested City Pass (transport): Children and young people are able to access public transport at free or reduced rates, thus allowing them to venture out easily and independently.
We also learned about programs that demonstrate the Regensburg’s commitment to “Kinderfreundlichkeit in Kommunen.” This concept refers to the implementation of child rights at the local level of all government programs, by paying special attention to consulting young people and recognizing them as “experts in their own cause” when it comes to having their rights reflected in municipal decisions that affect them. A few examples:
Spielleitplanung: an urban planning and development project where kids lead the planning, data collection and analysis, decision making, and implementation to create their neighborhood’s child-friendly environments.
“Mini-Regensburg”: a bi-annual three-week long summer program where children “playfully learn how adults operate their lives and how the city community functions.” Children choose work from workshops, offices, agencies, companies, shops, and even a children’s rights agency; use hard-earned (play-) money to purchase food and goods; and learn about politics by electing a mayor and city council to rule and supervise the city. They learn to negotiate and interact with one another—adults are there for safety, but most importantly, to empower and support children to make their own decisions and to teach one another. Between 900-1700 children attend daily, at the cost of 15 euros for the entire three-week session.
The Spielbus: this program acknowledges the importance of play for a child. The Spielbus is a truck full of play equipment (slides, balls, parachute games, crafts) that travels around the city, ready for kids on the schoolyard, at festivals, and in parks.
There is also recognition of the whole child, starting before birth and throughout childhood, and an understanding that there are things needed in order for children to thrive and grow into healthy adults. This includes, but extends far beyond, education and healthcare. In Regensburg, mothers have additional support beyond the standard midwifery support provided to all German women during the prenatal, birthing, and postnatal periods; family-midwives in Regensburg work together with the “Koki” (social work and coordinating child protection) to provide counseling and support for new mothers/families. Koki are in place to identify, counsel, and connect families in need with social services, and to ensure their success in obtaining the help they need to successfully care for their child. There is one child protection house for the children who need this care, and Family Centers in all areas of the city, where parents can take classes ranging from exercise to parenting to language classes, which helps to provide skills, social contact, and support.
Finally, one of the key characteristics of a child friendly city is the incorporation of a youth voice in the local government; Regensburg upholds this in several ways:
Youth Advisory Council: the council is comprised of representatives elected by children and youth (ages 14-18) to represent the interests of all children and young people. The council offers proposals and recommendations on all matters concerning children and young people, gives statements on related issues, and maintains an independent budget to support projects initiated by kids in Regensburg.
Child Advisors: thirty advisors (ages 8-14) meet regularly with the mayor to discuss current issues.
In addition to seeing this beautiful city, I found it fascinating to learn firsthand all the ways Regensburg has incorporated the mission and goals of the Child Friendly Cities Initiative and has reflected child rights into its daily practice and governance. It was undoubtedly a humbling and awe-inspiring experience.
For additional information about this initiative, please visit Child Friendly Cities or refer to the Good Practice in Child Friendly Cities handbook.