Abstract
Young children's daily lives are shaped by the environments in which they live, play, and grow. However, in spatial research and urban planning, their voices and experiences are often overlooked: an omission which stems primarily from assumptions that they lack the necessary spatial understanding to meaningfully contribute to discussions about cities. Our paper challenges this assumption. We undertook a study with 77 children aged 3–5 years, with diverse geographic, socio-economic, and ethnic backgrounds living in two New Zealand cities. The children created their own city imaginaries using a tile method, using up to 399 tiles in making their cites. Analyses of their cities showed individual differences were far more significant than group differences. Children approached the city-building in highly diverse ways, choosing different tile types, forming different spatial layouts, and expressing distinct urban priorities and values. The cities reflect layered functions, thoughtful systems, and empathetic design thinking. They were highly individual and intuitive, representing emotionally meaningful understandings of urban space, which included consideration of the needs of others in creating a balanced, functional urban environment. Their designs were not simply playful arrangements of objects, but carefully thought-out configurations addressing accessibility, safety, and the overall flow of daily life. These pre-schoolers' offer alternative visions of cities grounded in empathy, functionality, creativity, and experimentation. We conclude that their contributions are too important to ignore.