About this international webinar

What if the health, wellbeing, and development of children were considered in every planning decision?

Join leading international experts in public health, urban planning and child-friendly cities for a webinar exploring how neighbourhoods, communities, and cities shape children's health, play and development.

This webinar will provide practical, evidence-informed actions that policymakers, planners, health professionals, and researchers can use to create urban environments where children can move, play, and thrive. Registered attendees will be provided with a recording of the webinar and the Policy and Practice brief following the webinar.

Why attend?

You'll hear from international leaders working at the intersection of child health, urban design, and policy.

Learn:

New evidence of what neighbourhood features support active, healthy childhood
How global child-friendly city indicators can be used to guide policy and planning
Practical actions for governments, planners, public health professionals and communities
Lessons from leading international initiatives creating healthier cities for children
Launch of the Designing for Healthy Childhoods Policy and Practice Brief

Speakers

Tim Gill - London UK

Keynote speaker and panellist Tim Gill (Rethinking Childhood) is an independent researcher, writer and consultant based in London who has spent over three decades advocating for children's play, mobility and spatial freedoms. His work spans public policy, urban planning, education and childcare, and has shaped child-friendly planning guidance for cities worldwide.

Professor Hayley Christian AM - Perth Australia

Host, presenter and panellist Professor Hayley Christian is Head of Child Physical Activity, Health and Development Team at the Kids Research Institute Australia. Her research focuses on improving children’s physical activity, health and wellbeing through multi-level interventions targeting the child, the family, and social and built environments. Her team identifies and implements programs and policies to help children establish healthy behaviours early.

Dr Ming Xuan Zhao - Perth Australia

Presenter Dr Ming Xuan Zhao is Postdoctoral researcher at the Child Physical Activity, Health and Development Team at the Kids Research Institute Australia. Ming researches the built environment’s links to children’s physical activity and development. She co-leads the Built Environment and Child Health research program and creation of the Designing for Healthy Childhoods Policy and Practice Brief with Professor Hayley Christian AM.

Dr Melanie Lowe - Melbourne Australia

Presenter and panellist Dr Melanie Lowe is Co-Director of Global Observatory for Healthy Sustainable Cities. Melanie is a Vice-Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University. She investigates how to plan healthier, more resilient cities and develops evidence-informed indicators that monitor and inform policy globally. Her work has directly shaped government policy nationally and internationally.

Meghan Talarowski - Philadelphia US

Panellist Meghan Talarowski is the Founder and Executive Director of Studio Ludo. Meghan's research on how play environment design shapes children’s physical health and social behaviour draws on data from 60,000+ people across 100 play environments worldwide. It informs her designs of 30+ destination play environments and play safety guidance for 40+ play installations and children’s museums around the US and globally.

Dr Mads Rosenkilde - Denmark

Panellist Dr Mads Rosenkilde is the Global Project Lead for Novo Nordisk, Cities for Better Health.  Mads drives global partnerships for healthier, more active cities and is driving the Active Play Challenge 2026, supporting innovative solutions that make active play more accessible for children worldwide. 

Contact the host of Supporting children's health through the built environment webinar

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