The forgotten child: Cities for the well-being of children

Dr. Crowhurst Lennard's work concerns the social, cultural and psychological aspects of architecture, urban design and city-making, clarifying how the built environment affects social interaction, health and quality of everyday life. Her studies encompass making cities "livable" for children, youth and the elderly; relationship between physical health, social health and the built environment; walkability, bikeability and transit; small footprint mixed use urban fabric as essential for a livable city; the mixed use square as the "heart" of the city; the DNA of the city; city identity through regional architecture; balanced transportation planning to enhance health, social life and community. Dr. Crowhurst Lennard has focused special attention on the way the built environment affects the lives of children and youth. This was the topic of her Masters thesis (1969), early research on the child's conception of built space (1978), and formed the foundation of her concern for making cities livable. She believes that we must first consider the needs of children and youth, and that if we make a city livable for them, it will be livable for all. This theme has been emphasized in numerous articles and chapters, and is the subject of her book, The Forgotten Child: Cities for the Well-Being of Children. Dr. Crowhurst Lennard is Co-Founder & Executive Director, Child-Friendly Communities Alliance (2010 - ). CFCA's mission is to ensure that natural and social places essential to children's health will be included in new development and restored in existing neighborhoods and cities; and that barriers to children's mobility will be removed so that children can independently access nature and community life on a daily basis.