Abstract
The presence of all young children on the streets sometimes manifests itself as gestures of escape and exploration that have been removed from parental supervision. On closer inspection, the event inspired by these “escape gestures” seems to reveal an essential dimension of the sensitive urban relationship, which the architect should not lose sight of. The child may make the city exist otherwise and reveal a particular texture which the adult tends to no longer read. However, this opening up to the child’s criminal field, which helps the architect’s imaginary work, is under opposite tension as a result of a set of directives and normative technical requirements linked to the development of a quality certification policy that is particularly active in the field of children and urban design. By seeking to ensure the reasonable and informed use of the city, this policy removes many opportunities for gambling into the public space, through which the child learns to live with others, offers remarkable abilities and sometimes finds an unparalleled place of enchantment.