Shared spaces, shared futures : engaging the next generation in participatory planning

Abstract

Participatory planning methods in urban planning and governance are receiving increasing attention for boosting the acceptance of development plans, solving local problems more effectively, and strengthening social cohesion. Albeit youth participation has evolved from tokenism into an institutionalized form in the past decades, a number of challenges remain. The aim of this research is to present the evolution of youth participation in urban planning since the early 2000s in Europe and the United States, while focusing on what role digital participatory tools can play in these processes. The research was supported by exploring existing studies of youth participation in urban planning through a historical literature review. According to the research findings, although effective participatory processes should involve the broadest range of local actors, including youth, in both regions, their purposeful involvement in participatory planning processes is often overlooked or dismissed, while successful means of their engagement are not widely adopted. Digital planning tools are rising mostly in Northern European planning and are easily adapted by youth, but can only complete inperson methods. The research results show that successful examples of youth involvement contribute to increasing community cohesion and creating vibrant public spaces for all ages. Participatory planning needs to cater to the emotional and developmental factors of youth and invest in resources from training to the adoption of a playful approach to successfully gain the valuable inputs of youth to build the cities of the future.