All to play for: How to design child friendly housing by Dinah Bornat, Dinah with ZCD Architects

All to play for: How to design child friendly housing by Dinah Bornat, Dinah with ZCD Architects

All to Play For confronts housing policy’;s fundamental failure to consider children, who comprise over 20% of our population yet remain consistently ignored in design decisions. This book transforms a decade of participatory research into practical guidance for creating child-friendly neighbourhoods. Through measurable principles and meaningful engagement, it gives architects, developers, and policymakers evidence-based tools for designing homes that support play, safety, and belonging. Already influencing national policy and cited in Parliament, it demonstrates how research can drive change in building communities for future generations.

 

 

Describe the context of the strategy, research or policy. What need does it serve? What questions does it answer? What is its social and environmental impact? 

 

All to Play For addresses a simple but urgent question: how can we design housing that works for children? Despite comprising over 20% of the UK population, children’s needs are consistently ignored in housing and planning policy. This book is the first of its kind to focus on this gap by bringing together research, evidence and practical guidance to show how homes and neighbourhoods can support play, safety, independence and community life. 
 
 Rooted in a decade of ZCD Architects’ observational research and direct engagement, the book shows how housing layouts fundamentally shape social interaction and children’s everyday use of space. It re-evaluates historic and contemporary models in the UK and Europe, in both high- and low-density contexts. By mapping where and how children actually play, this evidence moves beyond assumptions to identify the spatial conditions that foster belonging and wellbeing for families.
 
 The book is a strategic guide for creating neighbourhoods where children are not an afterthought, but the starting point. Its social impact is profound: it reframes child-friendly design as an essential component of building sustainable, supportive communities for everyone. Beyond this it shows a broad range of professionals, including architects, housing providers, developers, politicians and investors, how to do this. It advocates for a new model of housing that engages meaningfully with communities, and prioritises doorstep play and social connection as fundamental to a thriving neighbourhood.

 

Did you consult key stakeholders or the community in the creation of this document or policy? How did you select participants? Was the final strategy shared with the community? Is this engagement ongoing?

 

Although All to Play For is a published resource rather than a live engagement project, the evidence and insights it presents are drawn directly from participatory work with children, young people and families. Developed through partnerships with local authorities, housing associations, developers and design teams, our research sought to understand firsthand how children experience their homes and neighbourhoods.
 
The book includes participant voices in different ways: through stories written directly by residents about the places they live as a meaningful form of post-occupancy evaluation (chapter 2) and through conversations directly between the author and residents (chapters 4 and 5). The central chapter 3 called ‘Participation’ looks at the role and voices of participants across a range of live projects. This dedicated chapter provides a practical guide to meaningful engagement, showing how strong methods can inform live projects. 
 
All participants involved represent a diversity of ages, family structures, and housing contexts, from inner-city estates to suburban developments. 
 
Consultation methods discussed throughout the book show how to use design not just as an outcome, but as a tool for dialogue, helping to draw out community knowledge and translate lived experience into spatial principles. The book makes this learning accessible to professionals and residents alike and has been shared widely with both. It shows how participatory evidence can be turned into strategic guidance.
 
 Engagement is ongoing. For example, Peabody have commissioned further detailed post occupancy evaluation on their Sidney Close scheme, a case study from the book, to determine their own key learnings.

 

How will the research or strategy be taken forward or implemented? Please describe any accountability, metrics or enforcement built into the process to encourage meaningful change.

 

All to Play For is designed to be a tool for action. Its framework is structured around four clear, measurable child-friendly principles – ensuring spaces are overlooked, connected, car-free, and directly accessible – that can be embedded into briefs, design reviews, and post-occupancy evaluations. The book shares collective knowledge through case studies, diagrams and language that make it accessible to both professionals and communities.
 
 Implementation is already underway. Over 500 copies of the book were sold within the first few months after publication. More local authorities, developers, housing associations and design teams are asking ZCD Architects to apply the principles and processes to their projects
 
 Accountability is built through providing a clear, replicable methodology. This offers a consistent approach and a powerful feedback loop that embeds a child friendly approach: research informs practice, and delivered schemes can refine the research, ensuring the principles remain robust and relevant. 
 
 Early indicators of impact include citations in policy documents, numerous invitations to speak at important industry events such as Festival of Place. Dinah has also been asked to appear in podcasts featuring the book and has held training workshops with a cross-disciplinary commitment to child-friendly design, demonstrating accessibility across the industry and beyond. The book promotes a culture of evidence and reflection, encouraging measurable, accountable change in how we design for future generations.