Let’s give cities back to children: Bratislava will discuss the future of neighbourhoods and communities
18.2.2025
The capital of the Slovak Republic, Bratislava, and the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava (MIB) have announced the second year of the Start with Children international summit. The two-day international event, which will be held on 13 and 14 May 2025 in the Stará tržnica (Old Market Hall), will welcome experts and city representatives from around the world under the main topic of “Let's give cities back to children: How to create vibrant neighbourhoods and communities”.
“As a mayor and as an architect, public spaces, their quality and safety, are a very important topic for me. A space where children feel comfortable and safe is comfortable and safe for all of us,” says Matúš Vallo, Mayor of Bratislava. “Looking at the city through the eyes of children leads us to fundamentally rethink the priorities that have shaped our urban environment. And this summit is about transforming our approach to urban development to serve the needs of all generations. We invite visionaries, leaders of local governments, as well as expert practitioners, to join us in Bratislava to plan better quality, more sustainable and more inclusive urban neighbourhoods with active communities”.
This year’s Start with Children summit follows on the success of the first year, which in 2024 welcomed up to 600 participants from the ranks of city representatives, leading experts and practitioners, as well as foundations and companies from around the world. This year’s programme will focus on urban planning and the creation of urban neighbourhoods with accessible services and facilities that support free play, active mobility and ensure a good quality of life for children, parents and grandparents.
“Housing and its immediate surroundings have a major impact on children’s well-being, from physical health and emotional stability to cognitive development and other areas. At the summit, we will look at how to create new urban neighbourhoods or how to adapt existing neighbourhoods to the needs of children, as well as how children can be actively involved in the process. We will also actively look at which key design principles cities and investors should focus on when creating neighbourhoods. We will illustrate this through the examples of Aspern Seestadt, one of the largest urban development projects in Europe, which has been planned from the start with an emphasis on the needs of families with children, as well as through the example of the new Nordhavn district in the Copenhagen harbour, which functions as a 5-minute car-free city, or the concept of Superblocks from Barcelona. We will also not overlook successful examples that support free play and multigenerational communities in Slovakia,” adds MIB Director Petra Marko.
Start with Children 2025 will bring lectures, workshops and discussions on the following key topics: • Designing child-friendly neighbourhoods • Support for children’s independence through play • Intergenerational housing • Involving children in urban planning • Spatial planning of care services • The impact of the environment on children’s health
Among the keynote speakers are leading international experts, including Dina Bornat, Eva Kail, Jonny Anstead, Adam Gebrian and Helle Nebelong. The event will create a space for an exchange of knowledge among architects, urban planners, innovative developers, local government representatives and experts on mobility, public spaces and climate resilience.
As a result of countless minor decisions in urban planning, we have over the past decades gradually lost spaces in our cities for social contact and children’s play. At a time when cities are facing the challenges of climate change, resource conflicts and population displacement, the need for child-friendly city planning is more urgent than ever. At the same time, new scientific knowledge about human development, from social needs to brain function, is bringing new insights that need to be incorporated into planning processes and urban policies.
In line with Bratislava’s commitment to sustainable urban development, the summit sets as its goal to provide cities with practical tools and measurable initiatives that will help transform their urban environment for the benefit of children and, as a result, all residents.
For more information on Start with Children 2025 and to register, visit www.startwithchildren.com ↗︎
Contact for media: Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava Communications Department [email protected]