Systematic Design of Family-Friendly Environments as a Factor in the Capitalization of Contemporary Business Structures and Urban Spaces

Abstract

Objective: to develop an integrated conceptual model of family-friendly environments as a factor in the capitalization of contemporary business structures and urban spaces, and to construct a corresponding composite index for its assessment. Methods: comparative analysis and synthesis of two parallel research streams, family-supportive organizations and child- and family-friendly cities, combined with a systemic design approach linking the enterprise, urban, and system levels. Results: a systemic home-work-city model is established, in which family-friendly workplace practices (flexible and remote work, caregiving leave, childcare and lactation spaces, inclusive leadership) and family-friendly urban design (safe pedestrian and green zones, service accessibility, family participation in planning) generate measurable capitalization effects through strengthened human capital, ESG performance, and intangible assets at the enterprise level, and through hedonic real estate premiums, area attractiveness, and demographic resilience at the territorial level. An Integral Family-Friendliness Index, based on min-max normalization and weighting of five indicators across both levels, is proposed for comparative assessment. Significance: the model demonstrates that family-friendly design functions not as a cost but as a capitalizable strategic asset, providing a foundation for managerial and urban-planning decisions, with particular relevance for the postwar recovery of Ukrainian cities and enterprises.