The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) has published a report on children, young people and the built environment, which has been presented at the House of Lords.
Entitled ‘Raising the healthiest generation in history: why it matters where children and young people live’, the report draws on evidence from Dr Michael Martin, Lecturer in Urban Design and Planning, and Dr Hannah Fairbrother, Senior Lecturer in Public Health. In January 2024, Dr Martin and Dr Fairbother submitted evidence to a major government inquiry, drawing on findings from their respective research that demonstrated the importance of bolstering children and young people’s right to the city. Their work has shown that designing and planning opportunities for play and health promotion across the built environment are crucial to support children and young people’s development and wellbeing.
The TCPA report contains recommendations drawn from a review of evidence from an inquiry undertaken by the Government’s Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee (LUHC), started in November 2023. The LUHC Committee launched an inquiry looking at how better planning, building and urban design in England could enhance the health and wellbeing of children and young people. They received evidence from over 130 organisations and individuals. However, when the general election was called in May 2024 the committee was dissolved before it had published any outcomes to government. The TCPA’s ‘Raising the healthiest generation in history’ report now acts as this outcome, using the rich collection of evidence, to lobby the government for progressive changes for children and young people.
A spokesperson for the TCPA said: “For decades, governments, policy makers and the planning system in England have failed to create places and spaces where children and young people develop well and thrive. Poorly planned and designed homes, streets, neighbourhoods, villages, towns and cities have harmed children and young people’s development, physical and mental health, undermined their quality of life and negatively impacted on their life chances and opportunities as adults. Critically, children from the most deprived backgrounds are even more likely to have poorer health outcomes.”
In light of the election of a new Labour Government, the report draws together recommendations aimed at the party’s manifesto pledge to set out a ‘bold new ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children in our history’. By combining expertise from the School of Geography and Planning and the School of Allied Health Professions, Nursing and Midwifery, The University of Sheffield offers crucial interdisciplinary analysis to support this ambition.
Dr Michael Martin, Lecturer in Urban Design and Planning, said: “Hannah and I are delighted to feature in this landmark report, our evidence and scholarship has been used to show that practitioners in place-making and the built environment need to accept a responsibility for children and young people’s needs. We hope the TCPA report is a force for positive change for children and young people by the current government.”