Research
*Hackney Council:
Contribution to research award
*Inspire Future Generations
Research award
Published research is a key part of our work.
The 2025 book All to Play for: How to design child friendly housing, brings together ten years of research.
All to Play For
How to design child-friendly housing
This book consolidates research from 2014 to 2024 at ZCD Architects including mapping, engagement and best practice. Drawing from the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands and Spain it explores what makes good housing design for children, providing insights and illustrated case study examples.
It explains our four child-friendly design principles, to aim for spaces that are: car-free, overlooked, directly accessible from a dwelling and connected to another space.
Select Committee Inquiry
Subject: Children, young people and the built environment
Dinah Bornat presented evidence at the inquiry examining how built environment policy impacts children and how better planning, building and urban design in England could enhance the health and well-being of children and young people. Fellow witness(es) included Tim Gill, Author of Urban Playground, Jo McCafferty, Director at Levitt Bernstein, Sarah Scannell, Assistant Director Planning at Birmingham City Council and Jonny Anstead, Founding Director of TOWN.
Other publications
2022
Chingford Mount Child Friendly District Research and Feasibility Study
Report on research findings from engagement programme at Chingford Mount.
This research is structured in two parts: Part 1 analyses data from young people's perspectives, while Part 2 presents collaboratively designed interventions. This approach provides local authorities with recommendations and a pilot scheme for future town centre projects. Based on youth input, the designs envision Chingford Mount as a centre that prioritises young people's needs.
2020
Making London Child-Friendly
Produced by Publica and Erect Architecture with a Foreword by Dinah Bornat who was co-chair of the MDA Sounding Board.
This report from the Mayor's Good Growth by Design initiative shows how smart urban design can help young Londoners move around independently. It combines research, policies, and practices to create guidelines for a child-friendly city. While there's been research on child-friendliness and mobility, it hasn't been well applied to urban design. This report fills that gap, showing how the built environment - including public spaces, roads, and housing - affects youth mobility.
2020
Making it possible to do Play Sufficiency
Produced by Play Wales. Dinah Bornat was a member of the review Panel.
This study expands on previous research about the Play Sufficiency Duty, examining how local authorities can support children's play opportunities. It looks at factors like people, policies, and funding that help implement Play Sufficiency. The report provides examples and recommendations for Welsh Government, Play Wales, local authorities, and children's workers.
2019
Neighbourhood Design
Report produced by ZCD Architects
This report addresses the lack of representation of children in urban development policies, focusing on a Hackney neighborhood through children's perspectives. We engaged, observed, and analyzed their outdoor activities, proposing innovative approaches to urban design and participation that better serve younger generations. Based on a commitment to become child-friendly, our study spans the De Beauvoir Estate and nearby De Beauvoir Primary School, offering insights applicable beyond Hackney to cities across the UK.
2019
Child-Friendly Planning in the UK
Written by Jenny Wood, Dinah Bornat and Aude Bicquelet-Lock.
This report examines how to include children's needs and rights in planning policy. It identifies gaps in current national policies despite ratified rights. The report focuses on key UNCRC rights such as participation, access to public spaces, and play. It suggests a 'child-friendly' approach and offers recommendations. The report highlights progress in Wales and Scotland, and potential in Northern Ireland. It calls for collaboration between nations to improve policies across the UK.
2018
Chain Reaction: Neighbourhood Play
Dinah Bornat wrote an essay for this anthology discussing the question: Do buildings damage your health?
Dinah's essay examines housing development design issues, focusing on integrating children's play spaces. It challenges policies that restrict play to designated areas and suggests creating neighbourhoods that encourage play throughout. The essay uses research to show the effects of reduced outdoor play and proposes urban spaces that promote health and community interaction.
2018
Between edges and hedges
Dinah Bornat wrote an essay for an anthology for Harrow Council on designing for children and people.
This essay examines the decrease in outdoor play for children and its effects on society, highlighting the importance of local neighborhood spaces. It suggests creating car-free, shared areas near homes for safe play and community interaction. Using photos, the essay outlines guidelines for developers and planners to design child-friendly environments. The goal is to transform neighbourhoods into sustainable spaces that benefit both children and residents.
2018
Cities Alive
ZCD's research gets referenced in this ARUP publication.
This report presents a child-focused approach to urban planning, highlighting its effects on children's growth and well-being. It looks beyond playgrounds to consider how the entire urban environment shapes children's futures and improves life for all residents. The report calls on city leaders to prioritize child-friendly urban design.
2018
Play Sufficiency and Neighbourhood Layout
Report produced by ZCD Architects
This report examines neighbourhoods in Wrexham County, Wales, focusing on factors that impact children's play opportunities. ZCD Architects' mapping method ranks neighbourhoods based on independent play levels. The study shows a link between mapping scores and children's satisfaction with play opportunities. This work supports Play Sufficiency planning in Wales and provides insights for the UK, linking social value to measurable outcomes through design.
2017
Making spaces for play
Produced by NHBC and ZCD Architects
This report examines how design and community spaces affect children's play and development. While global trends favor child-friendly urban planning, the UK is limiting outdoor play. The 2015 All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) report raised concerns and suggested ways to promote play. Our report backs these suggestions, using maps and observations to study how design impacts social space use.
2016
Housing Design for Community Life
Report produced by ZCD Architects
This study focuses on designing spaces based on how people use them outdoors. It highlights the importance of play and social activities in building community. The research stresses the need for safe children's play areas, which benefit the whole community, including older adults. It suggests changing planning policies to promote inclusive community development.