The next time you're at the park, take a closer look. Not just at the giggles and games, but at the civic life kids are modeling.
How do they share space?
Who leads and who listens?
How do they make space for the younger ones?
How are ideas negotiated and new games invented?
What kind of world are they imagining?
And who gets included?
This is the stuff of good urbanism.
We often talk about how to raise kids to become active citizens, but the truth is they already are. Kids are practicing the skills of community building every day. They’re testing fairness, cooperation, negotiation, and creativity in real time. They build small systems of care and joy faster than most policy processes ever could.
When two kids want the same toy, they find ways to work it out, sometimes on their own, sometimes with a little help. That’s conflict resolution, just like neighbors navigating tough conversations about zoning or housing at a town hall.
When a group of kids decides who will be…
