Cities for Children with Tim Gill
About this episode
Tim Gill, a childhood mobility advocate, discusses how designing cities for children improves urban life for everyone. He critiques playgrounds as isolated solutions and champions 'doorstep play,' where kids can safely play right outside their homes. Highlighting examples like the car-free Vauban neighborhood in Germany and Rotterdam’s transformation, Gill emphasizes the importance of reclaiming streets from cars to foster community and health. He also addresses equity challenges in urban improvements and stresses that prioritizing children in city planning encourages long-term thinking about climate and social well-being.
Tim Gill is a London-based independent scholar, writer and consultant on childhood, and a global advocate for children's play and mobility. He is the author of Urban Playground: How Child-Friendly Urban Planning and Design Can Save Cities and No Fear: Growing Up in a Risk Averse Society.
We met Tim when he appeared on a panel with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo that Sarah moderated during Climate Week in New York. When we heard what he has to say about cities and children, we knew that we had to have him on the show.
So we grabbed him before he could leave New York. We talked on a bench in City Hall Park on a weekday morning, so you can hear the sounds of a city that is waking up and going to work and school in the background. It was an appropriate setting for a chat about how we by making cities better for children, we make them better for everyone.
Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free versions of regular episodes, Patreon-only bonus content, Discord access, invitations to live events, merch discounts and free stickers!
***Our new book, Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile, will be published on October 21, 2025 by Thesis, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Pre-order now.***
Find us on our book tour in San Francisco, Vancouver, Washington, DC, Portland, OR and more. We're adding new cities every week.
The War on Cars is produced with the generous support of the Helen & William Mazer Foundation.
This episode was sponsored by Cleverhood and Upway. Listen for the latest discount codes.
Request an Explanation
Heard something you'd like explained? We'll add it to this episode.
Sign in to request explanations for terms you heard.
Want to learn more?
Browse our glossary for plain-English explanations of automotive terms, jargon, and concepts.