We are delighted to share that our Child-Friendly Design Strategy, developed in collaboration with Tim Gill for Hartree – our project with LandsecU+I – has received a Commendation at the Thornton Education Trust Awards.

This recognition underscores the significance of placing the needs of children and young people at the centre of design and planning. The strategy provides a foundational framework to guide the Hartree development in creating an inclusive and supportive environment, addressing a long-standing gap where the needs of children and young people are often overlooked in planning policy.

Hartree is a large-scale redevelopment project in North East Cambridge. Recognising the essential role that families play in creating thriving communities and the lack of attention given to children and young people in current planning policy, TOWN and LandsecU+I were keen to ensure that children were key stakeholders in the design process.

The Child-Friendly Design Strategy aims to move beyond conventional approaches that often confine children’s needs to designated play areas. It adopts a holistic, site-wide perspective informed by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UNICEF Child Friendly Cities Initiative. The strategy is structured around five key themes: Play, Safety, Inclusivity, Active Mobility, and Access to Nature. These themes are applied across three spatial components of the Hartree masterplan: streets and routes, public spaces, and housing. Clear measurable KPIs and criteria are set to assess the success of child-friendly design across the development. The intention is for the strategy not only to inform the design of the masterplan but also to establish a set of guidelines for future plot developers to adhere to.

The intention is that the strategy will act as a reference tool for designers, planners, and stakeholders, ensuring child-friendly principles are maintained throughout Hartree’s design, construction, and post-occupancy phases.

A cornerstone of the strategy is its extensive engagement programme with children and young people in North Cambridge. Conducted over three years, this engagement ensured that the strategy reflects the lived experiences of its intended users.