Partner Events
Cities on the Frontline: How to Finance for Play and Placemaking in Cities
03 February 2022
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08:00
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Online
Building the city of the future requires first and foremost that children of today are empowered and prepared, not only to survive but to thrive in the face of adversity. Play is essential for children’s health, physical, and emotional growth, and intellectual and educational development, it also helps children to acquire social and behavioural skills and build resilience. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on children, disrupting their schooling, affecting their well-being, social contact, and even nutrition. This is especially damaging for children living in deprived urban areas, increasing the risk of poverty given the accumulated disadvantages. Cities in partnership with their local communities, and with the support of national governments, the private sector and the global community need to act quickly to prevent a lost generation of children. However, cities often face barriers in financing dedicated play spaces and targeted investment in the play sector. This calls for an innovative approach to financing projects and initiatives that build resilience through encouraging play in the city.
This second session of 2022 Cities on the Frontline Speaker Series, jointly organized by Resilient Cities Network in partnership with the World Bank and Real Play Coalition, will focus on “How to Finance for Play and Placemaking in Cities”.
Featured Speakers
We will be joined by Simon Henzell-Thomas the Global Head of Public Affairs & Advocacy for Ingka Group (IKEA), as a keynote speaker. The session will also showcase City of Houston's Director of the Mayor's Office of Education, Olivera Jankovska, and City of Milan’s Deputy Chief Resilience Officer, Ilaria Giuliani, who will reflect on funding strategies and case studies of innovation in financing of play in the city. Their interventions will be complemented by Founder and CEO of ChangeX, Paul O’Hara, who will introduce the ChangeX model and discuss play activation initiatives as well as funding play activities.
Cities on the Frontline is a virtual thought leadership speaker series. The series, which began in 2020 co-organized by the Resilient Cities Network and the World Bank Group’s City Resilience Program, provides city practitioners and the industries and residents that they support, an understanding and means for responding to the pandemic and associated stresses, as well as solutions for planning towards a more resilient recovery.
Questions about the Speaker’s Series, additional registration requests, or related items can be directed to media@resilientcitiesnetwork.org
