Are children the key to designing resilient cities after a disaster?

Children are disproportionately affected by disasters. Poor infrastructure and urban development increase vulnerability to disasters and whilst the impact on children is becoming increasingly understood, children are generally treated as passive victims in the aftermath leading to long-term devastating effects on the resilience of communities. While research into the impact of disasters and a changed physical environment on children is gaining momentum, there is still a lack of understanding of how to and why engage with children in decisions regarding the design of their physical environment.

This chapter presents two case studies that highlight biases of decision-makers against involving children and present field work from Australia and internationally. The chapter examines barriers, cultural biases and protective measures that prevent children’s voices from being heard, the longer-term impact of children’s exclusion from ongoing governance and maintenance of public infrastructure, and challenge people’s pre-conceived ideas of the role of children in our communities. Throughout, the chapter argues that designers, decision-makers and governance operators have the opportunity to develop innovative and long-term sustainable approaches to designing and operating resilient infrastructure.