What makes urban housing good for young children and caregivers?

This discussion will explore how we understand universal concepts that make living spaces supportive of and conducive to the healthy development of young children such safety and stability of tenure, as well as design elements that create the conditions to build and sustain community and sociability such as accessible community and play spaces, and car free environments.

Meet our speakers

Dinah Bornat is the director of ZCD Architects leading on housing, urban design and engagement, and a leading expert in child-friendly cities. She has published research and contributed to books and journals and is an advisor to local authorities and developers. She has given talks at New London Architecture, Urban Design London, the London Development Conference, Homes England, GLA, Festival of Place and many others. ​Dinah is a former Mayor's Design Advocate for the Mayor of London, Quality of Life Foundation Associate and Design Council Expert.

Jo McCafferty is an architect and has been a Director at Levitt Bernstein since 2006. She is known for designing and delivering innovative housing of all scales and types, campaigning for housing quality and advising clients on design standards. Jo sits on Design Review Panels for Lewisham, Hackney, and Newham and is also co-author of the acclaimed second edition of The Housing Design Handbook, published in 2018. She passionately champions for the involvement of children and young people in design, and most recently gave evidence at the Select Committee Hearing for Children, Young People and the Built Environment. She been Chair of the NLA’s Expert Panel on Housing since 2020.

Jacob Willson is Head of Design at Guinness Partnership, one of the UK’s largest affordable housing providers. Jacob has a wealth of experience leading design and development teams from strategic urban design projects to the delivery of high-quality buildings on-site. Previously Head of Design at Be First, Jacob built and led the design and sustainability team, driving award-winning housing projects, innovative planning strategies, and largescale housing retrofit. His career includes roles at Arup, Hackney Council, and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment. He also serves as Vice Chair of Tower Hamlets' Design Review Panel.

Meet our chair

David Madden is Associate Professor in Sociology and Co-Director of the MSc City Design and Social Science Programme. He works on urban studies, housing studies, political sociology, and social theory. David holds a PhD from Columbia University, and his research interests include housing, public space, urban restructuring, and critical urban theory. 

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #Urban95Academy

More about the event

LSE Cities (@LSECities) is an international centre that investigates the complexities of the contemporary city. It carries out research, graduate and executive education, engagement and advisory activities in London and abroad.