Better Housing for Early Childhood - the Family Voices Toolkit

Families make up over 35% of urban populations but are often not engaged in public consultations in housing plans. The Family Voices Toolkit brings the voices of parents and children to the forefront, strengthening the community impact and social value of s affordable housing projects.

The Family Voices Toolkit, developed by ZCD Architects with the Van Leer Foundation, helps investors, developers, and architects create housing that supports young families. This toolkit enables meaningful engagement, creating neighbourhoods that foster children’s development and family well-being. This innovative approach to community engagement was piloted in developments in in London, Dublin, Chicago by industry leaders such as The Earls Court Development Company, Bridges Fund Management, PATRIZIA Sustainable Communities, Jonathan Rose Companies, FABRIX, HUB, and Ardstone. Insights were then embedded into the tool which is now publicly available.