#urban design for kids

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: Cities: How Humans Live Together by Megan Clendenan

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Publication Date: May 16, 2023

Synopsis:

If you could design a city that would be both a great place to live and good for the planet, what would it look like? Today, about four billion people―more than half the world’s population―live in cities. This number could rise to seven billion by 2050. Cities face big challenges, including threats from climate change, food insecurity, a lack of clean water and rapid population growth, but they are also places where innovation and sustainability can thrive. How Humans Live Together travels through time to explore questions like When and why did cities form? How did people access food and water? Where did they go to the bathroom? Peek into the past to see how cities have changed through time and explore what could make cities more sustainable and welcoming for today and tomorrow.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review below the cut.

My Review:

Kiddo (9) and I read this as a bedtime book over several days. I think it took us 4-5 days of reading to finish (I read fast - luckily, kiddo listens fast).

I was dubious about it when I requested it, as city planning is not generally considered a good bedtime book topic and I've never found it particularly interesting. But kiddo prefers science and history books over the more traditional stories for bedtime books and the cover drew me in, so I took a chance.

We loved it. The author did a fantastic job making the topic of past, present, and future cities come to life on the page, and we learned SO much. Did I expect before finding this to be enjoying a book that is essentially city planning for kids? Hardly. And yet.

The book is broken up int0 five chapters: Mapping it Out, Getting Around the City, Water & Waste, Lights, Power, Action!, and Finding Food. Each of those chapters begins with what would make an ideal city that is good for people to live in, problems encountered with each, then what has been done in cities throughout history (Ancient Greece, Middle Ages Europe, Mesopotamia, Cairo, Tenochtitlan, etc), what is done in cities now, and what people have dreamed up for cities of the future.

We learned about oyster reefs, arc lamps, floating gardens, and rain gardens. The facts were easy to digest as they were wrapped up in such an engaging story, and both new and old ideas from all over the world were proposed as solutions for the future. And it does read more like a story than a history book, so it's incredibly engaging.

The focus, throughout, is what makes a city good to live in, sustainable, equitable, and meeting the needs of all its residents. It was a refreshing perspective and I came away with a more positive view of cities than I had held previously and both kiddo and I came away with a desire to learn more. And really, that's what makes the best kids' books.

Here are my 9-year-0ld's thoughts:

It was very good! I'd give it five stars! [Kiddo usually gives 4, so that's a ringing endorsement.] It was all pretty interesting and there were no boring parts. I learned a lot about cities! One thing I learned was it's very important to keep waste separate from water when designing a city.

This should absolutely be in upper-elementary / middle-school classrooms and libraries. I'll be recommending it to my library for sure and kiddo and I will be seeking out the other books in this series asap.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Orca Books for providing an early copy for review.

[godsgifttothehumanrace]

Idk who this is but if you know I’ll give credit besides the point though look how cool the outfit is

[jev-urisk]

Had to round out the bunch with a little Seeker 💫

I think Seeker was extremely treasured growing up.. but they should have been loved a bit more. Their destiny awaited them, and no one ever let them forget that.

Aaand now that I've done all four characters for 🌐7 Circles🌐 as kids (bby Klaus, bby Val, bby Kaz) I am NOT drawing another child for a GOOD while 🎉 lol ᵉˢᵖᵉᶜᶦᵃˡˡʸ ᵒⁿᵉ ʷᶦᵗʰ ᶠᵒᵘʳ ᵃʳᵐˢ BUT! I'm now curious about what yalls ocs were like as little'ns!! Share one (or more) of the following about your ocs early days;

Something expected of them. Something they came to believe about themself bc of other people (ex. told you're annoying, or you're so smart). A childhood habit they've continued as an adult. How they were treated by adults. Childhood nicknames. Sketches or reference pics welcome but not necessary!

taggamez: @katenewmanwrites @smellyrottentrees @wyked-ao3 @lychhiker-writes @the-golden-comet @fortunatetragedy @cowboybrunch @zackprincebooks @urbiggestfan-01 @quillswriting +Open tag (no pressure tho!)

[wildcard-org]

made my smith design too fun to draw and now theyve taken over my brain. helpp

[edge-oftheworld]

when I was in high school there was a tendency whenever there was an attractive boy to simply fan over him. in a way that talked over everything he might say for himself and created a narrative that completely ignored, the fact in some cases, that he was really struggling—or if he was struggling, to pin all the blame on the girl he’s dating and completely ignore the thousands of other factors (no it can’t be mental illness or unaccommodated disability or systemic abuse or exploitation and if he is in an abusive relationship we won’t ever consider the factors that put him at risk for that)

and I’m not saying this fandom is like that. I get the need for privacy around some things and how in public conversations sometimes it’s a lot more respectful to stick to the positives (everyone who does that, I admire you) or even the struggles that are talked about publicly, show respect by not reading too far into them. there’s a time and place for that. but sometimes I feel like our only options are shitty and ableist gossip or totally ignoring the systemic and structural issues we know exist in something like the music industry until someone dies and then we’re looking for someone to blame. friends, there is a point where the respectful thing is to listen to what someone says and come together to make things better. and you can learn how to have that conversation respectfully. please do

[ivytea]

Your letter box art is too cute!

When I was little the nearest letter box was built in the side of a house so I always thought that there must be a person always sat behind it organising the post all day and because I lived in the middle of nowhere (and was a little clueless kid) I always thought it was a fairy.

OUGH this is so sweet & such a fun case (haha) of magical worldview.. i'd like to believe that any given mailbox is organised/populated by the coolest theory a local has about its existence. sending much love to your mysterious letter-sorter & their pulling of the coolest job in the world :''^)

[walldecorexpert]

Score Big with Green Graffiti Wallpaper: The Ultimate Kids Football Wall Mural

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Conclusion:

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[emdotcom]

Remember! If you share, more answers will be there.

[viovio]

my spidersonas name is gagambing on account of the fact that she is a goat

[error-silence]

Can anyone guess what her name is?

I swear she actually has one

My best friend gave it to her

She is now her mother

I’m leaving.

[greatwyrmgold]

You think that children feel more in control of their lives when they can go some places without needing to ask their parents to drive them there?

Cars and Independence

My Patreon

[godsgifttothehumanrace]

SpongeBob and Patrick when they stole Sandy’s fur in that one hibernation episode

[maninsuitprintondemand]

Metallic purple skull Magnet

Also available as a t-shirt, tank top, crewneck sweatshirt, long sleeve t-shirt, baseball t-shirt, kids hoodie, kids long sleeve t-shirt, baby bodysuit, phone case, mug, wall art, pillow, tote and pin Check out link for colors and pricing. Watermark not present on any of the final products

https://www.teepublic.com/magnet/48884052-metallic-purple-skull

[catgirl--butch]

having ocs is so insane what do you mean i have to make my own blorbo content

[todays-xkcd]

If they're going to make people ride bikes and scooters in traffic, then it should at LEAST be legal to do the Snow Crash thing where you use a hook-shot-style harpoon to catch free rides from cars.

Urban Planning Opinion Progression [Explained]

Transcript Under the Cut

Typical urban planning opinion progression [Each panel is connected to a point on a timeline]

Cueball: I wish there wasn't so much traffic to get into the city. They should put in more lanes. Megan: And more parking. Megan: Parking is so bad here.

Knit Cap: I have to go to Amsterdam for work next week. I hear they all ride bikes there. Ponytail: Bikes are fine but people shouldn't ride them in the street! I worry I'm going to hit someone!

Cueball: It would be nice if we had better transit options! Cueball: I tried a scooter. It was fun but I wish there were more bike paths.

Megan: It's funny how widening roads to speed up traffic makes them more dangerous to walk near, making driving more necessary and creating more traffic. Megan: Really makes you think.

Knit Cap: Visiting the Netherlands was cool! Knit Cap: Amsterdam is really neat.

Cueball: We've ceded so much of our land to storing and moving cars, with the rest of us tiptoeing around the edges and making drivers mad for trespassing on "their" space. Cueball: Even though we're the ones in danger from them!

Megan: Those giant trucks with front blind spots that keep hitting kids should be illegal.

Knit Cap: We should be more like the Netherlands. Knit Cap: They design their street to prioritize...

Cueball: The problem is car culture. It's systemic. Cueball: I don't know if we can fix it.

Megan: People approach road planning decisions from the point of view of drivers because that's how we're used to interacting with the city, so we make choices that make it more car-friendly. Megan: It's a vicious cycle.

Knit Cap: Netherlands! Netherlands! Netherlands! Netherlands!

Cueball: Anything that makes a city a worse place to drive in makes it a better place to live, short of scattering random tire spikes on the road.

Megan: Honestly, I think the city council should consider the tire spikes thing.