Children's citizenship and participation models: participation in planning urban spaces and children's councils

Participation represents a very important strategy for the sustainable development of cities and many governments have implemented a number of initiatives with this objective in mind. Of all the forms of children's involvement in changing the city, the present work takes into account two models of children's participation: Children's Councils and Participation in Planning. Special emphasis has been put on the description of the methods followed by a number of Italian cities in carrying out these initiatives. A description is given of the positive effects on the child's personal and social development and factors are seen to be relevant to success are discussed. It is argued that it is necessary to extend the cultural debate on the political and social significance of these experiences and to put in place additional procedures guaranteeing a functional collaborative relationship among all the parties concerned. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.