Paris is already known as the City of Light and the City of Love, but it can now claim a new moniker thanks to the Clean Cities Campaign: the City of Child-Friendly Infrastructure!
Okay, that doesn’t have quite the same ring as its OG nicknames, but the accolade is backed by data and child-centric urban planning. The Clean Cities Campaign is a climate-friendly transport NGO, and it analysed 36 different European cities on their school streets, safe driving speeds and protected cycling infrastructure. Paris topped the ranking with a score of 75 percent overall thanks to a load of kid-friendly schemes across the city.
Take the streets, for instance. The city has been reclaiming the space around schools to create 220 ‘school streets’, which have gone car-free. Plus, a 30 km/h speed limit is the new norm, and bike lanes are cropping up faster than you can say ‘vélib’. Why? Well, it’s all part of a two-wheeled revolution that’s transforming how Parisians get around.
Recommended: The 10 most brilliant things to do with kids in Paris.
But it doesn’t stop there. Paris is greening its schoolyards too: 131 of them have been turned into cool, shady ‘oasis’ playgrounds, and for families, there’s now free public transport for kids, subsidized after-school activities, school supplies handed out from first grade, 100 percent organic meals in crèches, and lunch prices as low as 13 cents for low-income households.
What’s more, over 20 schools now offer open-air classrooms, there’s a Language Academy in six schools, Tumo Paris is getting kids hooked on digital skills and the Climate Academy is shaping eco-minded citizens.
In the summer holidays, 20,000 children have the chance to get stuck into activities at Paris’s more than 400 city-run leisure centres, and that’s on top of all the city’s museums, libraries, and toy-lending centres. Impressive, eh?
The top three in this study is rounded out by Amsterdam, which scored 63 percent, and Antwerp, which came closely behind with 62 percent. Read on for the top 10.
These are the most child-friendly cities in Europe
- Paris
- Amsterdam
- Antwerp
- Brussels
- Lyon
- Helsinki
- Barcelona
- Bristol
- Oslo
- Ghent
Read more about the Clean Cities Campaign study on the website here.
Did you see that this European city was named sauna capital of the world – and it’s not in Finland?
Plus: The world’s most diverse and inclusive cities, according to locals.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.