Children are disappearing from city centres. Between 2018 and 2023, 19 out of 30 European capitals saw the share of the population aged 0-14 decline as families leave the cities.
In some inner London boroughs, the number of children aged 0-10 fell by 45% between 2011 and 2021. Paris has also seen a sharp fall, with annual births declining by approximately 17% between 2013-23, despite the overall population growing.
Much of the debate has focused on housing costs. But behind the rising rents and shrinking flats lies another, less visible force: urban design that has become inhospitable to family life. From streets designed around cars to cultural spaces that overlook younger audiences, many urban areas are quietly becoming “no-child zones.”
Source: Eurostat, ONS 2024
Designing out children
It’s not just affordability that pushes families out – it’s the way cities are built and used.
Pavements too narrow for pushchairs, streets too dangerous for walking or cycling, and public spaces that lack toilets or shade all send a quiet message: children are not welcome here. And sometimes that message is louder – in France, an increasing number of venues have been actively banning children. These choices don’t just inconvenience families; they shape children’s health, well-being, and long-term development.
The result can be a self-fulfilling cycle – as fewer families remain; cities and businesses invest less in services that support them – and become even less attractive to those considering staying.
Patchy progress
Some cities are trying to reverse course. Paris, a member of UNICEF’s Child Friendly Cities network, has launched several programmes to bring families back into the heart of the city. Its Rues aux écoles programme has pedestrianised over 300 streets around schools, adding greenery and public seating. These changes support the city’s broader “15-minute city” vision, where schools, parks and daily needs are all within a short walk or ride. London’s Making London Child-Friendly strategy outlines similar aspirations for safer streets and more inclusive design.
Both cities have faced resistance – in Paris, from tradespeople, motorists and some residents opposed to losing parking or road access – in London, from legal challenges and rollbacks of low-traffic neighbourhoods. But change is possible, and already happening elsewhere.
Lessons from child-friendly cities
Bratislava has seen its child population grow, thanks in part to its “City for Children” strategy. Streets around schools are being redesigned with wider pavements, colourful crossings, and temporary “play streets” that close to traffic during school hours. The city also supports “walking school buses,” helping children get to school safely, develop social and physical skills while also reducing car dependency.
Barcelona’s “superblocks” – clusters of car-light neighbourhoods – have led to a 25% drop in nitrogen dioxide levels and increased outdoor play. Evaluations show these spaces are not just greener, bringing children closer to nature, but safer and more social.
And Antwerp took a data-driven approach to map the typical journeys of children – from home to school to parks – to create a connected “play network” with new crossings, slower traffic, and child-friendly wayfinding. The result? More freedom and safety for children to move independently, encouraging play and exploration across neighbourhoods.
Source: Barcelona Architecture Walks, Superblocks, 2024
Creating family-friendly cities isn’t just about traffic. It’s also about designing spaces that encourage families to stay… and play.
In Vienna, the principle of Mehrfachnutzung (multiple uses) ensures that school sports grounds double as public play areas after hours. Features like toilets, water fountains, and extended park hours make public space more usable for families.
In Freiburg, neighbourhoods like Vauban have gone further – replacing garages and roads with shared courtyards and co-housing models support community life, while zoning regulations promote larger housing units, helping retain families and stabilise school enrolment.
Finally, policymakers are going beyond urban design to counter the “no-kids trend”, by focusing on changing social attitudes. In France, some municipalities have piloted “Label Le choix des familles” which certifies establishments that actively welcome children and their families. Tokyo has gone further with its Children’s Smile Movement, which aims to build a “children-first” society by encouraging citizens, businesses, and public institutions to treat child-rearing as a shared social responsibility.
More than 2 000 businesses and organisations have joined the initiative, offering family-friendly policies, events, and services. The campaign is amplified with ambassadors, city-wide events, and public media, all designed to normalise family-friendly spaces and reshape attitudes in everyday urban life.
Bringing back the children
If cities are serious about keeping families, design must become a cornerstone of urban policy, not an afterthought. Affordable and spacious housing matters but so too does safe streets, child-centred mobility networks and public spaces that welcome all ages. Families are not just a demographic trend line: they are the beating heart of resilient, inclusive cities. To design for them is not a luxury, it is an urban necessity.
Marie Cardwell de Bryas is an architect working between Paris and London, where she serves as co-director of the French office of Stephen Taylor Architects. Her practice has focused primarily on delivering high quality contemporary buildings and urban projects with a strong social and cultural focus, including public sector projects such as the delivery of housing schemes for several London boroughs. Marie holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Edinburgh and a BSc in Architecture from the University of Bath and is a registered architect both in France and the UK.
Elizabeth Doherty is an Economist in the Inclusive Growth in Cities Unit at the OECD, where she where she analyses economic strategies to strengthen local prosperity and reduce multidimensional urban inequalities. She previously worked for the UK Government, including in the Growth and Places Analysis Team at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. She has also worked as an Economics and Climate Associate in Amsterdam. Elizabeth holds an MSc in Economics from UCL and a BSc in Economics and Politics from the University of Bristol.