"Is a child-shaped world possible? The Children's Rights Impact Assessment as a tool to design city policies. A case study in Taranto"

"We worry about what a child will become tomorrow but forget that he is someone today." - Stacia Tauscher This quote fully encapsulates the goal and purpose of this work. People often worry about how children will become, calling them “the adults of tomorrow.” As helpful as this approach can be in investing in them as a potential resource for a future world, at the same time, it represents a significant constraint. Focusing all energies on the future creates the significant risk of forgetting that “the adults of tomorrow” are children in the present and, as such, must be recognized and respected within society. In this proposal, it is necessary to change perspective, starting from small realities and working on creating a child-friendly world in which children are not just passive participants but active protagonists in their lives. Through this paper, it will be possible to understand what elements are needed to create a child-friendly city and what spaces, services and entities are involved. However, carrying out and initiating a project that involves children in the foreground is a very delicate action and more complex than it may seem, as one must always remember that the beneficiaries of this project are minors. In this regard, it is crucial to draft this urban regeneration project in compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and measure its impact on direct beneficiaries, children and youth but also on indirect ones, their families and the entire community.