What makes a space public or private? What would streets look like without cars? Is our city truly walkable? Are there hidden rivers beneath the pavement? What does public housing mean? These are some of the questions posed by Agentes Urbanos e a Cidade Participativa (Urban Agents and the Participatory City), an interactive game designed by Cartilha da Cidade, a research and outreach group at the University of São Paulo’s Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning (IAU-USP). The initiative, created for students ranging from early childhood to graduate education, brings real-world urban challenges into the fictional city of Rios Perenes, represented by a blend of board game mechanics and a scale model. “The goal is to encourage discussion, empathy, and critical thinking as players work together to shape urban policies that affect everyday life,” explains Miguel Buzzar, a professor of modern architecture and urban planning at IAU-USP and founder of Cartilha da Cidade.
Buzzar first developed the concept a decade ago while leading urban-planning workshops in São Carlos public schools. Since its official launch in 2018, Urban Agents and the Participatory City has evolved into five versions, each tailored for different age groups. It is available as a free download on the Cartilha da Cidade website. In each session, which unfolds over two 50-minute rounds, participants are split into groups of “urban agents,” representing community organizations, government departments, and other stakeholders. Their mission? To discuss and decide, for instance, should a vacant lot become a shopping mall or a cultural center with a public library? “The game has no winners or losers—it’s about collaboration,” says Buzzar.
The game mechanics are partly inspired by The World Peace Game, a 1978 educational tool created by American teacher John Hunter. At its core, though, the project draws on the “right to the city,” a concept formulated by French philosopher and sociologist Henri Lefebvre (1901–1991) in the 1960s, which advocates for inclusive, community-driven urban planning. This is precisely what children and teenagers interviewed in a study by the Center for Research on Childhood and Early Education at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (NEPEI-UFMG) aspire to. Published late last year, the report “Direitos de crianças e adolescentes: Diagnóstico do município de Belo Horizonte” (Children’s and adolescents’ rights: A snapshot of Belo Horizonte) was developed in collaboration with the city government.
The study gathered inputs from 234 children and adolescents ages 18 and under from neighborhoods with varying social and economic conditions in Belo Horizonte. Among other topics, the study explored how young people interact with public spaces in the city. Their feedback revealed concerns about street conditions, play areas, public lighting, and mobility. A letter written in 2023 by children living in a squatting settlement, included in the report and addressed to Belo Horizonte’s mayor, echoed these same concerns. In the letter, they ask officials to improve local bus schedules and bus stops in the area, among other requests.
“Children can recognize urban issues and suggest ways to address them,” says educator Maria Cristina Soares de Gouvêa, a retired professor from the School of Education (FAE) at UFMG and a contributor to the study. “They realize, for example, that limited mobility—driven by expensive, inefficient public transit and poorly maintained roads—makes life harder for them, their families, and their neighbors.”
Cartilha da Cidade Outreach and Research Group/ IAU-USP, São Carlos campusStudents playing Urban Agents and the Participatory City, a game developed by USP researchersCartilha da Cidade Outreach and Research Group/ IAU-USP, São Carlos campus
Gouvêa notes that over the past 40 years, global attitudes toward childhood have shifted significantly. “Children should not be treated solely as subjects of public policy, but as citizens in their own right, with a voice on these initiatives,” she argues. This shift began with the adoption of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, now ratified by 196 countries. This landmark treaty defines children as individuals with distinct rights and responsibilities.
Brazil ratified the convention in 1990, using it as the basis for the Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA), which codifies Article 227 of the 1988 Constitution. This new legislation replaced the Minors’ Code from the military dictatorship era (1964–1985), establishing that the state, families, and society have a shared duty to promote children’s rights and their all-round development as a matter of utmost priority. This framework is supplemented by additional policies, including the Early Childhood Regulatory Framework, the National Early Childhood Plan, and municipal early childhood plans.
While the Convention on the Rights of the Child affirms a child’s right to participation, meaningful implementation is still lacking. “Merely stating that children participate is not enough. We need to create real opportunities for their voices to be heard and their ideas to influence political decisions,” says Marcia Aparecida Gobbi, a professor of social science at the USP School of Education (FE). She co-edited O direito da criança à cidade: Perspectivas desde o Brasil e Portugal (A child’s right to the city: Perspectives from Brazil and Portugal; FEUSP, 2022), a collection of articles by researchers from both countries.
One notable initiative in Brazil, says Gobbi, is the Participatory Budget for Children, introduced in São Paulo in the early 2000s. The project was inspired by Paulo Freire (1921–1997), the renowned educator who advocated for early childhood education as a tool to develop children’s sense of civics. Between 2003 and 2004, the initiative organized school assemblies across São Paulo, where children discussed issues concerning both their schools and the broader city. Though eventually discontinued, the project influenced other participatory initiatives in Brazil. “These programs encourage discussion, collective proposal-building, and the formation of student organizations,” explains Gobbi. “Italian educator and illustrator Francesco Tonucci famously said that a city designed for children is a city that works for everyone.”
Jundiaí, a city in São Paulo State, is one of the Brazilian municipalities leading the way in child participation. In 2017, Jundiaí implemented a Municipal Child Policy designed to improve public spaces, create safer routes, and increase children’s interaction with nature. In 2018, as part of its Master Plan review, the city formally incorporated the views of children and caregivers into its blueprint for urban growth and development. A committee was established, now made up of 24 children, to provide input on urban planning decisions.
Courtesy of the Boa Vista Municipal Government “Early Childhood Pathways,” an initiative by the Boa Vista municipal government in RoraimaCourtesy of the Boa Vista Municipal Government
That same year, Jundiaí became part of the global City of Children network, an initiative founded in Italy in 1991 by Francesco Tonucci to give children a voice in public policy. Last year, Tonucci spoke at the First International Seminar on Public Policies for Childhood, hosted by the Office of the Associate Dean for Extension, Sports, and Culture and the Center for Public Policy Studies (NEPP) at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP). At the event, UNICAMP, the Jundiaí city government, and the City of Children project formalized a partnership set to begin implementation this year.
Roberta Rocha Borges, head of the Early Childhood Education Program at NEPP-UNICAMP, says the aim of the collaboration is to expand the City of Children network in Brazil. Established in 2023, the network now includes Jundiaí and 16 other cities across six Brazilian states, among them Pelotas (RS), Recife (PE), Boa Vista (RR), and Mococa (SP). “One of our biggest challenges is maintaining these initiatives across election cycles and government transitions,” says Borges, a professor in UNICAMP’s graduate education program.
One planned initiative will create study groups bringing together university researchers and municipal government representatives. “Actively listening is an important part of any methodology that genuinely recognizes children as having citizens’ rights, but it must be done sensibly,” says Borges. “It’s important to carefully consider which of the children’s proposals are practicable and how they can contribute to the common good.”
Published in Brazil last year, the book Desenhando ruas para crianças (Designing Streets for Kids) (Editora Senac) presents strategies for creating more child-friendly urban spaces. The book was developed by the Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI), a US-based organization of architects, urban planners, and designers. GDCI was launched as part of the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), a coalition of 81 US cities and institutions dedicated to urban mobility solutions. The book provides recommendations such as timing traffic lights to facilitate safer pedestrian crossings, installing seating areas along walkways, and establishing pedestrian-priority streets and zones (see infographic).
