Theoretical Origins, Evolutionary Stages, and Analytical Framework of Child-Friendly Cities: Research Prospects of All-Age-Friendly Cities from a Childhood Perspective

Research on child-friendly cities is an integral part of the Global Childhood Research Movement, emerging under the influence of the new sociology of childhood, feminist theory, and postmodern space theory. It has gone through several developmental stages: a period of germination from the 1970s to the 1980s, a period of exploration from the 1990s to the end of the 20^th century, and a period of maturation from the 21^st century to the present. During this process, the analytical framework has roughly transitioned from a focus on “age-development” to “social construction,” and then to “social structure.” In response to the current neglect of the shift from a child to a childhood perspective, China’s child-friendly cities should harness the momentum of the Global Childhood Research Movement. They should pay attention to the spatial issues arising under “inter-generational relations and generational structure,” revitalize the educational and natural attributes of space, and propose urban development strategies focusing on multi-generational childhood and all-age-friendly city programs from a childhood perspective. This approach will help to realize the coordination between people (in their childhood stages) and place (urban space).