TEDxMileHigh
Mara Mintzer: How kids can help design cities
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Adults tend to think of kids as "future citizens" -- their ideas and opinions will matter someday, just not today. But kids make up a quarter of the population, so shouldn't they have a say in what the world they'll inherit will look like? Urban planner Mara Mintzer shares what happened when she and her team asked kids to help design a park in Boulder, Colorado -- and how it revealed an important blind spot in how we construct the built environment. "If we aren't including children in our planning, who else aren't we including?" Mintzer asks.
Mara Mintzer - Community engagement specialist
Mara Mintzer thrives on engaging children, youth and underrepresented communities in participatory planning, an approach that aims to integrate the views of all community members into designing exemplary communities. Full bio
Mara Mintzer thrives on engaging children, youth and underrepresented communities in participatory planning, an approach that aims to integrate the views of all community members into designing exemplary communities. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
Our society routinely makes decisions
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without consulting
a quarter of the population.
a quarter of the population.
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We're making choices about land use,
energy production and natural resources
energy production and natural resources
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without the ideas and experiences
of the full community.
of the full community.
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The car, an inanimate object,
has more say over public policy
has more say over public policy
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than this group of citizens.
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Can you guess which group
I'm talking about?
I'm talking about?
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It's children.
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I work in urban design,
and not surprisingly,
and not surprisingly,
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most cities are designed by adults.
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Urban planners, architects,
developers, politicians,
developers, politicians,
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and occasionally, a few loud citizens.
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Rarely do you consider the voices
of a group of four-year-olds,
of a group of four-year-olds,
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barely tall enough to reach the podium
at city council chambers.
at city council chambers.
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But today, I want to ask you this:
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What would happen if we asked children
to design our cities?
to design our cities?
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(Laughter)
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Back in 2009, I was introduced
to a small group of people
to a small group of people
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who wanted to start a child-friendly
city initiative in Boulder, Colorado.
city initiative in Boulder, Colorado.
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I come from a family
of civil rights advocates,
of civil rights advocates,
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and I had spent my career until that point
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working with low-income
children and families.
children and families.
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But I had never heard of a child-friendly
city initiative before.
city initiative before.
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So I figured its purpose would be
to address some of the frustrations
to address some of the frustrations
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I had encountered as the parent
of a young child.
of a young child.
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Perhaps we would advocate
for more changing tables in restaurants.
for more changing tables in restaurants.
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Or create indoor play spaces
for those cold and rainy days.
for those cold and rainy days.
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In other words, make the city
more hospitable to children and families.
more hospitable to children and families.
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It wasn't until after
I committed to this project
I committed to this project
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that I realized I had it all wrong.
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We wouldn't be designing
better cities for children.
better cities for children.
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Children would be designing
better cities for themselves,
better cities for themselves,
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and for the rest of us, too.
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Now, I bet you're skeptical
about this idea.
about this idea.
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And honestly, I was, too.
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I mean, there must be a reason
the voting age is 18.
the voting age is 18.
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(Laughter)
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How could children possibly
understand complex ideas
understand complex ideas
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such as the affordable housing crisis
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or how to develop
a transportation master plan?
a transportation master plan?
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And even if they had ideas,
wouldn't they be childish?
wouldn't they be childish?
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Or unreasonable?
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Do our cities really need a park
made out of candy?
made out of candy?
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(Laughter)
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Or a bridge with water cannons
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that fire water onto
unsuspecting kayakers below?
unsuspecting kayakers below?
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(Laughter)
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While these concerns sound legitimate,
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I realized that not including
children in city planning
children in city planning
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was a bigger design problem.
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After all, shouldn't we include
end users in the design process?
end users in the design process?
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If we're building a park
to be largely used by kids,
to be largely used by kids,
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then kids should have a say
in the park's design.
in the park's design.
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So with all of this in mind,
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we formed a program
called "Growing Up Boulder,"
called "Growing Up Boulder,"
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and my job is to work with children
ages zero through 18
ages zero through 18
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to come up with innovative
city-design solutions.
city-design solutions.
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How do we do this, you might ask?
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Let me give you a real example.
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In 2012, the city of Boulder decided
to redesign a large downtown park,
to redesign a large downtown park,
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known as the Civic Area.
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This space is bounded
by a farmers' market on one end,
by a farmers' market on one end,
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Boulder Public Library on the other end,
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and by Boulder Creek,
which runs through the middle.
which runs through the middle.
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The space needed a new design
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to better handle the creek's
inevitable flash floods,
inevitable flash floods,
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restore a sense of safety to the area
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and support an expanded farmers' market.
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So from 2012 through 2014,
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we engaged more than 200
young people in the process,
young people in the process,
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ranging from preschool
through high school students.
through high school students.
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Now, how did we do this?
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Let me explain.
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First, we visited children
in their classrooms
in their classrooms
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and presented the project:
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what it was, why their ideas mattered
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and what would happen
with their recommendations.
with their recommendations.
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Before we could influence them,
we asked children to record their ideas,
we asked children to record their ideas,
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based on their own lived experiences.
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Then we asked children to go
on a field trip with us,
on a field trip with us,
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to document what they liked
and didn't like about the space,
and didn't like about the space,
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using photography.
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Through green picture frames,
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students highlighted
what they liked about the space,
what they liked about the space,
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such as college students,
tubing down the creek.
tubing down the creek.
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(Laughter)
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Then they flipped those frames over
and used the red side
and used the red side
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to highlight things
they didn't like, such as trash.
they didn't like, such as trash.
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Our sixth-grade students
studied the Civic Area
studied the Civic Area
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by researching sites
with similar challenges
with similar challenges
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from around the world.
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Then, we invited the kids
to combine their original ideas
to combine their original ideas
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with their new inspiration,
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to synthesize solutions
to improve the space.
to improve the space.
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Each class invited adult planners,
city council and community members
city council and community members
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into the classroom, to share and discuss
their recommendations.
their recommendations.
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Boulder's senior urban planners
stepped over blocks and stuffed animals
stepped over blocks and stuffed animals
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to explore preschool students' full-size
classroom recreation of the Civic Area.
classroom recreation of the Civic Area.
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Adult planners marveled
at the students' ideas
at the students' ideas
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as they shared a park
constructed out of a jelly bracelet.
constructed out of a jelly bracelet.
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It was supposed to be an ice-skating rink.
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And then, public art constructed
from animal-shaped plastic beads.
from animal-shaped plastic beads.
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And while this may seem ridiculous,
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it isn't so different from the models
that architects create.
that architects create.
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Now, fast-forward four years,
and I am pleased to report
and I am pleased to report
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that many of the children's ideas
are being implemented in the Civic Area.
are being implemented in the Civic Area.
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For example,
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there will be improved
access to Boulder Creek,
access to Boulder Creek,
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so kids can play safely in the water.
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Lighting in previously dark underpasses,
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so high school students can walk home
safely after school at night.
safely after school at night.
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And separated biking and walking paths,
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so speeding bikers won't hit young people
as they stroll by the creek.
as they stroll by the creek.
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My daughter and I even skated on a new,
child-requested ice-skating rink,
child-requested ice-skating rink,
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last winter.
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So, were all of the kids' ideas
implemented at the Civic Area?
implemented at the Civic Area?
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Of course not.
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Democracy is a messy process.
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But just as a reasonable
and well-informed adult
and well-informed adult
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does not expect
all of her ideas to be utilized,
all of her ideas to be utilized,
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neither does a nine-year-old.
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We've now been using
this process for eight years,
this process for eight years,
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and along the way, we've found
some incredible benefits
some incredible benefits
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to designing cities with children.
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First of all, kids think
differently from adults.
differently from adults.
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And that's a good thing.
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Adults think about constraints,
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how much time will a project take,
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how much money will it cost
and how dangerous will it be.
and how dangerous will it be.
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In other words,
"Are we going to get sued?"
"Are we going to get sued?"
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(Laughter)
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It's not that these
constraints aren't real,
constraints aren't real,
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but if we kill off ideas
from the beginning,
from the beginning,
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it limits our creativity
and dampens the design process.
and dampens the design process.
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Kids, on the other hand,
think about possibilities.
think about possibilities.
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For kids, the sky is the limit.
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Literally.
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When we worked with middle-school students
to design teen-friendly parks,
to design teen-friendly parks,
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they drew pictures
of skydiving, hang gliding,
of skydiving, hang gliding,
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(Laughter)
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and jumping from trampolines
into giant foam pits.
into giant foam pits.
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(Laughter)
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Some of this sounds far-fetched,
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but the commonalities among the activities
revealed an important story.
revealed an important story.
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Our adolescents wanted
thrill-seeking opportunities.
thrill-seeking opportunities.
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Which makes perfect sense,
given their developmental stage in life.
given their developmental stage in life.
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So our task, as connectors
between inspiration and reality,
between inspiration and reality,
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was to point them towards
activities and equipment
activities and equipment
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that actually could be
installed in a park.
installed in a park.
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This is exactly what parks
in Australia have done,
in Australia have done,
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with their extensive zip lines
and their 30-foot-tall climbing towers.
and their 30-foot-tall climbing towers.
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When kids dream up a space,
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they almost always include fun, play
and movement in their designs.
and movement in their designs.
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Now, this is not what adults prioritize.
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But research shows that fun,
play and movement
play and movement
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are exactly what adults need
to stay healthy, too.
to stay healthy, too.
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(Laughter)
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Who wouldn't enjoy a tree house
containing a little lending library
containing a little lending library
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and comfortable
beanbag chairs for reading?
beanbag chairs for reading?
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Or what about a public art display
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that sprays paint onto a canvas
each time you walk up the steps?
each time you walk up the steps?
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In addition to fun and play,
children value beauty in their designs.
children value beauty in their designs.
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When tasked with designing
dense affordable housing,
dense affordable housing,
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kids rejected the blocks of identical,
beige condominiums
beige condominiums
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so many developers favor,
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and instead, put bright colors
on everything,
on everything,
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from housing to play equipment.
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They placed flowers
between biking and walking paths,
between biking and walking paths,
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and placed benches along the creek,
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so kids could hang out with their friends
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and enjoy the tranquility of the water.
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Which leads me to nature.
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Children have a biological need
to connect with nature,
to connect with nature,
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and this shows up in their designs.
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They want nature
right in their backyards,
right in their backyards,
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not four blocks away.
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So they design communities
that incorporate water,
that incorporate water,
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fruit trees, flowers and animals
into their common spaces on site.
into their common spaces on site.
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For better or worse, this is logical,
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because five-year-olds today
are rarely allowed to walk four blocks
are rarely allowed to walk four blocks
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to access a park by themselves.
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And nature in one's immediate
environment benefits everyone,
environment benefits everyone,
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since it has been shown
to have restorative effects for all ages.
to have restorative effects for all ages.
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It may come as a surprise,
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but we even take into consideration
the desires or our littlest citizens,
the desires or our littlest citizens,
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babies and toddlers.
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From toddlers, we learned
that the joy of walking
that the joy of walking
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comes from what you discover
along the way.
along the way.
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When they evaluated the walkability
of Boulder's 19th Street corridor,
of Boulder's 19th Street corridor,
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toddlers spent long stretches
exploring leaves in a ditch
exploring leaves in a ditch
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and sparkles in the sidewalk.
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They reminded us to slow down
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and design a path where the journey
is as important as the destination.
is as important as the destination.
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In addition to trees and plants,
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kids almost always include animals
in their designs.
in their designs.
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Insects, birds and small mammals
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figure prominently
into children's pictures.
into children's pictures.
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Whether it's because
they're closer to the ground
they're closer to the ground
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and can see the grasshoppers
better than we can,
better than we can,
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or simply because they have a greater
sense of empathy for other beings,
sense of empathy for other beings,
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children almost always include
non-human species in their ideal worlds.
non-human species in their ideal worlds.
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Across the board, children are inclusive
in their city planning.
in their city planning.
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They design for everyone,
from their grandmother in a wheelchair
from their grandmother in a wheelchair
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to the homeless woman
they see sleeping in the park.
they see sleeping in the park.
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Children design for living creatures,
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not for cars, egos or corporations.
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The last and perhaps most
compelling discovery we made
compelling discovery we made
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is that a city friendly to children
is a city friendly to all.
is a city friendly to all.
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Bogota, Colombia mayor Enrique Peñalosa
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observed that children
are a kind of indicator species.
are a kind of indicator species.
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If we can build a successful
city for children,
city for children,
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we will have a successful
city for all people.
city for all people.
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Think about it.
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Kids can't just hop in a car
and drive to the store.
and drive to the store.
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And most kids can't afford
an expensive lunch at the nearby cafe.
an expensive lunch at the nearby cafe.
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So if we build cities
that take into the consideration
that take into the consideration
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their needs for alternative
forms of transportation
forms of transportation
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and for cheaper food venues,
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we meet the needs
of many other populations, too.
of many other populations, too.
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The more frequent
and more affordable bus service,
and more affordable bus service,
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so desired by our youth,
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also supports the elderly
who wish to live independently,
who wish to live independently,
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after they can no longer drive cars.
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Teens' recommendations for smooth,
protected walking and skateboarding paths
protected walking and skateboarding paths
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also support the person in a wheelchair
who wishes to go smoothly down the path,
who wishes to go smoothly down the path,
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or the parent pushing a new stroller.
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So to me, all of this
has revealed something important.
has revealed something important.
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An important blind spot.
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If we aren't including children
in our planning,
in our planning,
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who else aren't we including?
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Are we listening
to people of color, immigrants,
to people of color, immigrants,
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the elderly and people with disabilities,
or with reduced incomes?
or with reduced incomes?
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What innovative design solutions
are we overlooking,
are we overlooking,
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because we aren't hearing the voices
of the full community?
of the full community?
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We can't possibly know
the needs and wants of other people
the needs and wants of other people
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without asking.
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That goes for kids and for everyone else.
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So, adults, let's stop thinking
of our children as future citizens
of our children as future citizens
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and instead, start valuing them
for the citizens they are today.
for the citizens they are today.
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Because our children
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are designing the cities
that will make us happier and healthier.
that will make us happier and healthier.
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Cities filled with nature, play, movement,
social connection and beauty.
social connection and beauty.
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Children are designing the cities
we all want to live in.
we all want to live in.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Mara Mintzer - Community engagement specialistMara Mintzer thrives on engaging children, youth and underrepresented communities in participatory planning, an approach that aims to integrate the views of all community members into designing exemplary communities.
Why you should listen
By using creative, participatory methods in classrooms and community events, Mara Mintzer brings children, city planners and elected officials together to address the city’s most pressing issues. She writes and presents internationally on the topic of engaging children and youth in planning.
Mintzer is based at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado, where she co-founded and now directs Growing Up Boulder (GUB). Growing Up Boulder is a child- and youth-friendly city initiative that is a partnership between the University of Colorado, the City of Boulder, and Boulder Valley School District. Since its inception in 2009, Growing Up Boulder has worked with more than 4,000 young people, ages 0-18, and 1,000 university students to give children and youth a voice in designing the very communities in which they live. Her students routinely provide input to urban planners and testify before city council on issues that matter to them. Growing up Boulder is part of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Community Engagement Design and Research (CEDaR) Center.
Prior to her current work, Mintzer created and managed programs for underresourced children and families in California and New York. These programs ranged from Early Head Start, preschool education and universal pre-kindergarten classes to parenting classes and coordinated family support services on a public school campus. In addition, she facilitated community building through participatory budgeting and neighborhood visioning processes for the California community in which she worked.
Mintzer received her BA in psychology from Brown University and her MA in organizational psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. She takes an interdisciplinary approach to her work that values the intersection of urban planning, education, civic engagement and social justice. A spirit of collaboration underlies all of Mintzer's work. She loves to travel and practice her French and Spanish language skills fearlessly.
Mara Mintzer | Speaker | TED.com