Our Cities Should Also Be for Children, Not Just for Cars

India’s tier-two cities are expanding in population, economic activity, and spatial footprint, often without the benefit of careful planning. Roads are widened to move traffic faster, commercial activity spills unchecked onto footpaths, and public spaces steadily shrink. In this process, children the youngest citizens and the most frequent users of neighbourhood streets—have quietly disappeared from urban imagination. Designing cities for children is not a sentimental exercise. It is a test of whether our urban growth is humane, inclusive, and future-oriented.

The clearest symbol of exclusion in today’s cities is the street. Once a shared civic space, the street has become a conduit for vehicles. In most tier-two cities, walking a short distance means negotiating broken pavements, parked cars, speeding two-wheelers, and unpredictable traffic. For children, this is not merely inconvenient; it is dangerous. Parents respond by restricting independent movement. Children are driven to school, kept indoors, and gradually disconnected from their neighbourhoods. The loss is not only physical activity but social learning, confidence, and a sense of belonging.
Making a city child-friendly therefore begins with reclaiming streets for people. This does not mean banning vehicles or undermining commerce. It means restoring balance. Streets must be classified and designed according to function. A few major corridors can move buses and traffic efficiently. But neighbourhood streets—where children live, walk, and play—must prioritise pedestrians and cyclists. Traffic calming measures such as raised crossings, narrower lanes, and bollards are not cosmetic interventions; they are life-saving tools. When vehicle speeds fall, streets immediately become safer and more usable for children and the elderly alike.

Cycling deserves special attention. In Indian cities, cycling has been pushed to the margins—not because people do not want to cycle, but because it is unsafe. Painted cycle lanes offer little protection in chaotic traffic. What works are physically protected cycle tracks. Even a modest network of five to seven kilometres in a city core can change travel behaviour dramatically. For schoolchildren, cycling becomes a viable, affordable, and healthy option. For cities, it reduces congestion, pollution, and noise.

Public spaces are the second pillar of a child-friendly city. Parks and playgrounds are often treated as optional amenities rather than essential urban infrastructure. Many are poorly maintained, unevenly distributed, or inaccessible to large sections of the population. A child-friendly park is not just a play area; it is a social community asset. It needs shade, seating for caregivers, nature-based play elements, open lawns, accessible paths, and clean toilets. Every ward should have at least one such walkable park. Together with schools, libraries, and health centres, these spaces create a “15-minute city for children,” where daily needs are met within a short and safe walk or cycle.

Critics often argue that child-friendly planning comes at the cost of economic activity. This is a false assumption. Commerce suffers not because cities prioritise pedestrians, but because they fail to organise space. Unregulated commercial spillovers choke footpaths, slow traffic, and increase accidents—hurting both businesses and residents. A child-friendly approach reorganises commerce rather than displacing it. High-intensity commercial uses are planned on  wider streets. Neighbourhood streets and school zones should permit only low-intensity, child-compatible activities. Street vendors, who are integral to urban economies, must be accommodated through designated vending zones and time-based regulations. International and Indian experience alike show that well-designed pedestrian-friendly streets actually increase footfall and sales.

No discussion of child-friendly cities can ignore public transport. When buses are unreliable and last-mile connectivity is weak, families are forced to depend on private vehicles, further congesting streets. Reliable city buses, electric minibuses for neighbourhood loops, shaded and well-lit bus stops, and integration with cycling infrastructure can significantly reduce vehicle dependence. As traffic volumes fall, streets become safer and cleaner—benefiting children most of all.
Safety, however, is not only about traffic. Lighting, visibility, and responsive policing shape how secure children—especially girls—feel in public spaces. Safe routes to school, supported by community volunteers and monitored crossings, allow children to move independently while reassuring parents. These are not extraordinary measures; they are basic indicators of a city that values care over speed.

Parking management is crucial. Free or unregulated parking on public land consumes precious street space and encourages car use. Automated speed enforcement, penalties for footpath encroachment, and restricted vehicle access in sensitive zones signal seriousness of purpose. Cities can also use tactical urbanism—temporary pedestrian plazas, weekend car-free streets, and school-street closures—to test ideas quickly and build public support before scaling up.
Designing cities for children is not about privileging one group over others. It is about setting the highest standard for urban living. A city that is safe for a child to walk and cycle is also safer for women, the elderly, and the disabled. It is healthier, more vibrant, and more economically resilient. India’s tier-two cities now stand at a critical juncture. If they continue to design for cars alone, they will inherit congestion, pollution, and social fragmentation. If they choose to design for children, they will build cities that work—for today and for generations to come.