The New York Times ran articles last month about kids in NYC, highlighting the everyday lives of young teenagers in the nation’s biggest city. While probably not the authors’ intention, it had a few lessons for urban planners (such as how useful Citibike is for teens). It also led me to think about how raising two young children in Brooklyn has given me a different perspective on city design, public transit and safe streets. Here are a few lessons I’ve learned. Feel free to share yours in the comments.

Fear cars, little one, fear cars

City kids are much more likely to be killed or injured by cars than by guns, terrorism or evil strangers. This is what the data says. This is also what real life experience confirms. The ​“danger of the car” is one of the first and perhaps most important safety lesson city kids learn. I am currently teaching my 22-month-old this lesson (“street is ouchy,” ​“sidewalk, yes”). I’ve had cars nearly hit us in crosswalks many times. I’ve been yelled at for going to slowly with a stroller across the street. The trick in our neighborhood is to honk the horn, but not to slow down. Fear the car, little one, fear the car.

The only real bike lane is a protected bike lane

Rugby Road bike lane. The paint does not protect.

Like many kids, my 6 1/2 year old has been riding bikes on sidewalks since he was 3. For a year and a half he has been on a bike without training wheels. In other words, he is a very good and cautious biker. This fall we decided to try the new on-street bike lane that DOT just painted on Argyle and Rugby roads, very low-traffic streets. We rode behind him protecting him from cars, going slowly and coaching him the whole way, and even stopping if a car was coming too fast. The trip to Prospect Park (about five long blocks in the bike lane) was OK. On the trip home, however, I didn’t hear a car coming behind us, and watched as a giant speeding SUV nearly hit my son. The paint doesn’t protect. A real bike network provides a margin of error. It is meant to be inclusive. NYC has come a long way in encouraging cycling, but too much of NYC, even those streets with bike lanes, are inhospitable to anyone but expert cyclists.

What’s ​“private property?”

As adults, we understand what land is public and private. We stay off of people’s lawns, driveways, stoops. We don’t try to enter apartment buildings or houses or places of worship. But young kids don’t understand this and if allowed, will travel anywhere that interests them. Watching this has made me wonder if there is a new way to approach public space in New York. We share bikes, we share homes, we share car trips. We obviously share parks, but there aren’t enough of them, and it’s hard to build new ones. But what if we used technology to share more public and open space? Would the family down the street let me use their lawn for a few hours next Saturday? Could I use that BBQ at the building next door for dinner next week? If a city is going to grow, it will need radical ideas like this to make sure there is enough open space for current and new residents.

Touch the dirt

City life is about asphalt and concrete. These materials are used in streets, sidewalks, playgrounds, driveways, even front yards. We use them because it’s easier to deal with than grass or plants and many of us don’t think about it much. But kids need to touch dirt to learn about nature and develop immunity to disease. Many neighborhoods have access to open space, but not necessarily places where there children can actually put their hands in the dirt. More open spaces also need to be nature spaces. This should be a metric by which open space planning is measured.

Public transit rules

I feel deep satisfaction when my kids complain about taking a car. ​“Not the car! The air is too stuffy!” my 6 year old says. But unlike the boring car, trains and buses are fun. Bikes are the best, and walking is fine, especially if they can take a scooter. Sure, some trips are easier in cars, but I’ve never found public transit too hard with children. And the Times article illustrated how wonderful it is (for parents and kids who are a little older than mine) to live in a city where they don’t need to be driven around by adults. It gives them freedom, independence and exercise.

There are surely more, but these are some of the lessons that consistently come up for me, and connect my love of transportation and environmental work with my love for my kids.

Photo: Paul Sableman