Moreton Bay future in our children's hands

Published 10 February 2020

The children of Moreton Bay will have their say on what the future of urban city design will look like, in a Queensland first event.

The Child Friendly Cities Forum tour, hosted by Nature Play QLD, will make its first stop at Caboolture Hub, Hasking St between 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM February 26.

“Moreton Bay is one of the fastest growing council regions in the country – we’re expecting the population to increase by a further 240,000 residents by 2041,” Acting Mayor councillor Mike Charlton said.

“It is important we look out for the interests of our youngest citizens and this forum is just one thing we’re doing. You only need to look as far as the new Mill university campus in Petrie, which opened this year.

“But a child’s development starts much earlier than that and it’s extraordinarily important we get that right moving into the future.”

Nature Play QLD program manager Angela Wright said safe playable neighbourhoods were critical to improving a child’s overall physical, psychological and social wellbeing.

“We are looking forward to joining the discussion at Moreton Bay Regional Council’s Child Friendly Cities Forum around what we need to change to deliver child friendly communities,” she said.

“Children no longer play like previous generations, so we need to find ways to reinvigorate outdoor play and reverse the alarming health issues that are linked to sedentary play behaviours.

“I’m particularly looking forward to hearing from the children at the forum who have been invited to share what their ideal neighbourhood would look like as I think we have to re-write the rule book around how we design communities so that we can encourage and protect a child’s right to play.”

Keynote speakers include architect Natalia Krysiak who recently completed a Churchill Fellowship on child-friendly neighbourhoods while travelling to eight leading cities around the world including Tokyo and London.

University of Southern Queensland senior researcher Geoff Woolcock will talk about which regions in Australia were responding positively to child-friendly cities work.

You can find more information on the upcoming Child Friend Cities Forum on Council’s website.

The Child Friendly Cities Forum is part of council’s Know Your Neighbour Program 2020, which includes an art exhibition and celebration of Neighbour Day.