City planners often prioritize the needs of working age adults over those of children and elders. What makes a neighborhood child and age friendly? To explore this question, we used intercept surveys with elders and photovoice with children in Pineta Sacchetti, an unplanned, peripheral neighborhood of Rome. To our surprise, we found children and elders liked their neighborhood despite its unplanned character. Strong institutions and sense of place made the difference. Community engagement techniques, such as photovoice and intercept surveys, help reveal that social layer.