Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) are qualitative interviews of key stakeholders who are likely to provide information, ideas, and insights on a particular subject of interest.

A Focus Group Discussion (FGD) is a small group discussion facilitated by a trained moderator. It gathers people with similar backgrounds or experiences to discuss

Suggested age: 4+ During transect walks, children walk through the neighbourhood where the intervention is located accompanied by the built environment expert. They observe and

All ages Participant observation is a tool used to gain a deeper understanding of a specific situation in a certain location by both observing and

Suggested age: 4+ Participatory mapping involves creating maps through a process that identifies the relationships between places and local communities, reflecting local communities’ social and

Suggested Age: 4+ The ‘Photovoice’ tool is a participatory action research tool that involves giving participants a camera to record their lived experiences and perspectives

All ages The ‘Daily Activity Matrix’ is a tool that can be used with a small group of children to learn about their typical day,

Suggested age: 8+ Gehl studio developed the ‘Twelve Quality Criteria’ to research how public spaces are experienced by their users. It is structured around three

Suggested age: 4+ This tool is most effective when used by a group of children that are similar in age, background and gender. Children draw

Suggested age: 3-5 The Magic Carpet is a tool that can be used to engage young children in conversations about their environments (see Clark, 2017).

Suggested age: 4+ After each participant has developed their individual vision, they get the chance to share it with the group. With the help of

Suggested age: 4+ ‘Visioning Play’ is an activity that uses participants’ memories of play spaces to create visions of their desired future playground, expressed through

Suggested age: 5+ Poetry and creative writing are tools that have positive effects on emotional wellbeing, particularly for children who are living in stressful environments.

Suggested age: 4+ Showing children a space before and after an intervention enables them to discuss its impact and to highlight what they like and

Suggested age: 4+ Construction bricks, such as Lego, is a low-tech tool that represents a common ground for children of different ages, and between adults

Suggested age: 10+ Let’s Be Architects invites children to play the role of architects. Through drawing and/or manipulating 3D models, children explore different configurations of

Suggested age: 4+ The video game Minecraft allows players to build structures out of textured cubes (like digital Lego). UN-Habitat developed this idea, creating Block

Suggested age: 4+ Developed in 2019 by Arup’s Advanced Digital Engineering team, YARD is a tool for engaging with communities to design and validate public

Suggested age: 4+ ‘Combine and fantasize’ originates from the ‘Co-design with kids’ toolkit (TU Delft, 2018). It is a game during which participants and the

All ages Public design consultations can take place outside or in any public venue known to the local community. They reach greater numbers of community