ABSTRACT
So stated Victor Hugo in Les Misérables (cited in Aitken and Ginsberg 1988: 69). Broad as this claim is, there are a number of ways in which it can be argued to be true. Cities are the cultural and political centres of their societies, and how they treat their children and other vulnerable inhabitants is a basic measure of whether they are negligent and cruel or generous and humane. Therefore a city’s political and moral dimensions can be judged by the condition of its children, in terms of their health, opportunities for development and sense of well-being. When it comes to the future, the child of today is the city-maker of tomorrow. To predict the probable future outline of a city, it is necessary to look, again, at the condition of its children.
