Urban Planning
Mojtaba Rafieian; Nafiseh Zahed
Abstract
HighlightsThis study conducts a systematic literature review and qualitative analysis to examine research on Family-Friendly Cities published between 1995 and 2025.Bibliometric analyses identify major research trends, thematic clusters, and research gaps within the Family-Friendly City literature.The ...
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HighlightsThis study conducts a systematic literature review and qualitative analysis to examine research on Family-Friendly Cities published between 1995 and 2025.Bibliometric analyses identify major research trends, thematic clusters, and research gaps within the Family-Friendly City literature.The qualitative analysis develops a framework comprising six principal dimensions of the Family-Friendly City.Family-Friendly City planning has evolved from a primary emphasis on physical infrastructure toward broader objectives of sustainability and urban livability.The limited body of research conducted in the Global South underscores the need for context-sensitive urban approaches that respond to local socio-spatial conditions. IntroductionThe rapid growth of urbanization and the increasing complexity of family life have encouraged scholars and urban planners to reconsider the relationship between urban environments and family well-being. The concept of the family-friendly city (FFC) emerged in the mid-1990s as an approach aimed at creating urban environments that support diverse family structures, improve quality of life, and strengthen social sustainability. Since its emergence, various cities have developed policies and planning strategies addressing issues such as housing affordability, public spaces, childcare services, transportation accessibility, and social inclusion.Despite growing attention to this concept, the literature still lacks a comprehensive theoretical understanding of what constitutes a family-friendly city and how its dimensions and indicators should be defined. Existing studies have often focused on specific aspects of family life, such as family-friendly housing, child-friendly environments, workplace policies, or social services, resulting in a fragmented understanding of the concept. Moreover, previous research has mainly concentrated on developed countries, particularly in North America and Europe, while family needs and urban challenges in developing contexts remain insufficiently explored.Therefore, this study aims to address this knowledge gap by systematically reviewing existing research on family-friendly cities and developing an integrated conceptual framework. The study seeks to answer three main questions: How has the concept of the family-friendly city evolved over time? What are the main dimensions and indicators that define this concept? And what conceptual framework can explain the characteristics of a family-friendly city?Theoretical FrameworkThe theoretical foundation of this study is based on the understanding that the family-friendly city is a multidimensional urban approach located at the intersection of family needs, urban planning, sustainability, and social justice. Unlike earlier approaches that primarily emphasized physical improvements, contemporary interpretations consider the city as a supportive environment for families across the life course, including children, working parents, older adults, single-parent households, and multigenerational families.The concept draws upon broader urban theories related to sustainable development, livability, inclusive planning, and social well-being. A family-friendly city is understood as an urban environment that provides equitable access to affordable and diverse housing, safe public spaces, accessible transportation, employment opportunities, social services, and participatory governance mechanisms.Based on the qualitative synthesis of previous studies, this research conceptualizes the family-friendly city through six interconnected dimensions: spatial, social, economic, environmental, governance and participation, and temporal dimensions. These dimensions reflect not only the physical characteristics of urban environments but also social relations, institutional arrangements, family participation, and work–life balance.MethodologyThis research adopts a systematic review and qualitative synthesis approach to examine the evolution and characteristics of family-friendly city studies. The literature search was conducted in the Scopus and Web of Science databases, covering publications from 1995 to 2025. The inclusion criteria focused on studies directly related to family-friendly urban planning and excluded studies limited to workplace family policies or non-urban family services.Following the removal of duplicates and the application of screening criteria based on the PRISMA protocol, 57 articles were selected for final analysis. The study employed bibliometric techniques, including citation analysis and keyword co-occurrence analysis, using VOSviewer software to identify research trends, conceptual networks, and major thematic clusters.In addition to the bibliometric analysis, a qualitative review of the selected studies was conducted. Through qualitative coding and thematic analysis, key concepts, dimensions, indicators, and conceptual relationships were identified. This combination of quantitative mapping and qualitative interpretation enabled the development of a comprehensive conceptual model of the family-friendly city.Results and DiscussionThe findings reveal that research on family-friendly cities has experienced a fluctuating growth pattern between 1997 and 2025, with a significant increase in publications after 2019 and a notable turning point around 2020. The United States represents the leading geographical context, accounting for the largest share of publications and citations, indicating a strong concentration of knowledge production in North America and Europe.The bibliometric analysis identifies several major thematic clusters, including social and perceptual dimensions, housing and public space, urban planning and mental health, life course and diversity, sustainability and livability, urban policies and family, and urban development. These clusters demonstrate a conceptual transition from early studies focusing mainly on physical infrastructure toward broader approaches emphasizing sustainability, social inclusion, and quality of life.The qualitative analysis indicates that the family-friendly city consists of six major dimensions. The spatial dimension emphasizes affordable housing, accessible services, safe public spaces, and sustainable transportation. The social dimension highlights social capital, community interaction, diversity, and family support networks. The economic dimension focuses on employment opportunities and economic conditions that support family stability. The environmental dimension addresses safety, sustainability, and healthy living environments. The governance and participation dimension emphasizes family involvement in decision-making processes. Finally, the temporal dimension considers work–life balance and the changing needs of families throughout different stages of life.The findings also reveal that family-friendly planning should not be interpreted merely as the creation of attractive urban spaces for middle-class families. Some studies indicate that urban renewal and family-oriented policies may reproduce social inequalities when they overlook issues such as displacement, affordability, and spatial justice. Therefore, a truly family-friendly city requires an inclusive approach that recognizes diverse family forms and varying socio-economic conditions.ConclusionThis study provides a comprehensive review of the evolution, theoretical foundations, and dimensions of the family-friendly city concept. By integrating bibliometric evidence with qualitative analysis, it develops an interdisciplinary framework that moves beyond fragmented interpretations and presents the family-friendly city as a multidimensional urban planning approach.The results demonstrate that the concept has evolved from a narrow focus on physical facilities and housing toward a broader framework integrating sustainability, livability, inclusion, governance, and social justice. The proposed framework highlights that creating family-friendly cities requires coordinated attention to spatial structures, social relationships, economic opportunities, environmental quality, participatory governance, and the temporal needs of families.However, the dominance of studies from North America and Europe and the limited attention given to cities in the Global South remain important research gaps. Future studies should investigate how cultural, economic, and institutional differences influence the implementation of family-friendly urban policies across diverse urban contexts. Overall, the family-friendly city approach provides a valuable conceptual foundation for developing more inclusive, sustainable, and livable urban environments that support families across different stages of life.
