Project Brief The Child Friendly by Design Project , conducted by Healthy Cities Illawarra (HCI), in conjunction with Griffith University’s Urban Research Program (URP) is one of the strategies that make up Communities for Children Shellharbour , funded through the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy Initiative of the Australian Government. It aims to address the needs of young children and their families to give children the best possible start in life – directly assisting young children, and the context in which they live, in the Shellharbour area. Based on United Nations and UNICEF strategies, the Child Friendly by Design Project seeks to involve children, young people and families in the design and redesign of spaces and places in Shellharbour. It also seeks to develop a set of Child Friendly Indicators to assist planners, developers and designers in Shellharbour to create more child and family friendly spaces, building on work commenced with the NSW Commission for Children and Young People. (See ‘Towards the development of an Indicators framework for a Child-friendly Community – Literature review’ which can be found on the Commission’s website at www.kids.nsw.gov.au/kids/resources/publications.cfm under ‘Child-friendly community indicators – 16 Apr 2008.)

The project will celebrate and promote the child and family friendly places and spaces that currently exist in Shellharbour. The use of the project’s Child Friendly Indicators will be encouraged for use within the planning department of local council, and also at the developers’ and urban designers’ tables.

Some planning processes do not involve giving children and families a ‘voice’ on what is important about the places and spaces that surround them. The Child Friendly by Design Project hopes to encourage children and families to become involved in the planning and design process, as well as providing opportunities with council, developers and designers for this to occur. Part of this process will involve asking members of the Shellharbour community – children, families, business people, developers – what they think a ‘child friendly’ space looks like. This information will be used to formulate the Child Friendly Indicators, that will help to continue to make Shellharbour more child and family friendly.

The Child Friendly by Design project team will help formulate working parties for the 2527 and 2529 postcodes, made up of representatives from all aspects of the business and service community, local council, developers and community members. These working parties will select a pilot site for either design or redesign, using our Child Friendly Indicators.

“This project is so exciting for so many reasons, but especially because it is one of the first of its kind in the nation. It’s Shellharbour’s chance to set the benchmark for Child Friendly by Design!” Debra Langridge, Project Coordinator, Child Friendly by Design Project.

Albion Park CBD Child Friendly Redesign Site

Shell Cove Child Friendly New Design Site

Project Update September 2008
The latest news from the project with photos from project events.