1995

The foundation for project implementation was laid. International research teams were consolidated, funding sources were identified, grant applications were submitted, and connections were made to UNESCO and UNICEF.

Project teams were assembled to replicate research at original sites in Salta, Argentina; Melbourne, Australia; and Warsaw, Poland. (Rather than working in two Latin American countries, in both Mexico and Argentina, the decision was made to focus on one.) For strategic reasons, the Argentinian researchers determined to initiate a new site in Buenos Aires, with the intention of returning to Salta at a later time. New research teams were also developed in Bangalore, India; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Trondheim, Norway. Leaders of two independent projects with similar goals in Oakland, California and Northampton, England requested to be allied. The new Growing Up in Cities project, therefore, expanded from four to eight countries. It maintained its interdisciplinary composition: research teams included urban planners and architects, geographers, psychologists, anthropologists, and environmental educators. They also included internationally known figures in the field of child-environment research. At each of the original sites, members of the original research teams were available as advisors.

The project was brought to the attention of UNESCO and UNICEF, and won the endorsement of the Urban Section of UNICEF and renewed adoption by UNESCO, under the umbrella of its MOST Programme (Management of Social Transformations). UNESCO encouraged the revival of a project it had originally sponsored, and supported the new action component: an emphasis on the integration of the project into local and municipal plans, and the exploration of different processes for involving children in the design and implementation of urban improvements. UNICEF’s endorsement was motivated by its interest in developing indicators to monitor child rights compliance in urban areas as part of a Child Friendly City Initiative for municipal officials.