When children discover the city, something special happens: streets are transformed into play spaces, squares into green islands, ideas into tangible projects. With "Auf die PLÄTZE los!", the Wiesbaden Office for Social Work and the Department of Primary School Social Work for Children are taking part in the international theme year World Design Capital 2026 (WDC) - and asking the question: What does a city look like where children really feel at home?

Children from various elementary school in Wiesbaden are developing ideas and projects in specially set up future workshops that make their perspectives on a child-friendly city visible. Whether car-free streets, green squares, safe paths or creative meeting spaces - their proposals emerge from their own living environment and reflect the needs and views of young city dwellers. The aim of the project is to sensitize adults to these concerns and to develop long-term action strategies that enable child-friendly urban planning.

The focus is on so-called future committees, in which the children explore and shape their district together with school social workers and local partners. Equipped with a children's rucksack - complete with city map, instant camera, notebook and workbook - they document places with potential for change and contribute their ideas. Suggestions include play street festivals, urban gardening activities, outside gallery formats or initiatives for safe routes to school. The children vote democratically on proposals, take on responsibility and experience in concrete terms how participation works.

Head of Social Affairs Dr. Patricia Becher emphasizes the social relevance: "Democracy cannot be taken for granted - it has to be experienced, practiced and actively shaped. It is therefore crucial to involve children and young people at an early stage. Their radius of life may still be manageable, but their ideas are big and often surprisingly far-sighted. If we give them the opportunity to help shape their immediate environment - the way to school, the playground or the street outside their front door - then we create the basis for a lifelong democratic attitude. When children experience that their suggestions are heard and actually implemented, responsibility grows from this - and participation becomes a tangible experience. Projects such as 'Auf die PLÄTZE los!' show exactly that: they make democracy tangible and, for me, are a central building block of a vibrant, inclusive urban society."

The project builds on the experiences of the Future Committee 2023 - a participatory project with children from the Mainz-Kastel and Mainz-Amöneburg districts, which was implemented as part of the federal program "Future Package for Movement, Culture and Health". The children there also developed ideas for a more child-friendly city - from more play areas to safer routes. They explored their surroundings, entered into dialog with local stakeholders and even visited the local council in Kastel to address their concerns directly. These approaches are now being developed further with "Auf die PLÄTZE los!" and transferred to other districts. In the future, children's parliaments are to be created to consolidate and structurally anchor participation.

The children's participation in the future workshop promotes their understanding of democratic processes. The children playfully learn about democratic principles such as responsibility, co-determination and reliability - and experience that their voice counts. The plan is to implement the activities in several districts of Wiesbaden between June and September 2026 - the project is currently still in the specification phase.

"Let's go to the PLACES!" embodies the motto of the World Design Capital 2026: "Design for Democracy. Atmospheres for a better life." Children are involved as experts in their everyday lives and bring new perspectives to urban design.

The project was presented on March 31, 2025 by Jutta Kühn-Mertens from the Primary School Support Department as part of the "Design for Democracy - Business Meets Creative Power" networking event at the Wiesbaden Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Numerous exciting projects from Wiesbaden and the Rheingau-Taunus district that would like to become part of the international WDC program presented themselves there. Following the open call with over 1,000 submissions, the WDC jury published the first official program in February 2025 - including the child participation project from Wiesbaden.

The Office for Social Work and the Department of Social Affairs are also in close contact with other WDC projects in Wiesbaden, including the "Babbel Tower" - an initiative of the Department of Building Construction in cooperation with the Schelmengraben district center. Possible points of contact for joint activities are also being explored with Department VII for Smart City, Europe and Public Order. The aim is to create synergies and jointly provide strong impetus for democratic, creative and liveable urban development.

Helping hands and creative ideas are still needed for the implementation of the project - for example in the areas of logistics, graphic design of the workbook, equipping the children's rucksacks, gardening and landscaping, construction or sponsoring activities and materials.

Feedback and offers of support are welcome at

betreuende-grundschulenwiesbadende

Find out more about the work of the elementary school / school social work for children in Wiesbaden:

https://www.wiesbaden.de/leben-in-wiesbaden/gesellschaft-soziales/soziale-dienste_/Schulsozialarbeit-Kinder (opens in a new tab)

Further information on the World Design Capital 2026 Frankfurt RheinMain:

www.wdc2026.org (opens in a new tab)

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