15:00, 11 February 2022
Words by Smiley Team, Staff Writer, London
It's of course important that the places we build and manage provide opportunities for everyone in the community - including people of different backgrounds, abilities, and ages.
But despite making up around 20% of the population, young people are routinely left out of discussions around the future of their neighbourhoods.
Yet, young people’s participation creates better places for everyone. A free toolkit - Voice, Opportunity, Power - is aiming to do just that. It offers practical guidance on how to involve young people (11-18) in the way places get built and managed.
(Read more about this Bank of Things which is helping young people thrive)
The toolkit is designed to improve participation in and the quality of new development and regeneration. Because the reality is, if you engage young people meaningfully you'll create a better, healthier and more active place.
Very often, conversations will focus on the public realm: the space between buildings, not the buildings themselves.
Green space, open space, streets and pavements that have a significant impact on young peoples’ lives. These are perhaps the critical elements from a young adult’s perspective.
Young peoples’ needs are rarely met when it comes to designing these public spaces, and mistakes are made that cause problems for years. Young people want to feel part of the community, to feel safe and welcome and be active outside in their local area.
(Read more about these five charities supporting young people in 2022)
If this kind of information is fed into the brief at an early stage, it can have a major impact on the masterplan, producing clear sight lines and connections, the right kind of benches in the right places, safe loops for walking and cycling, and a variety of spaces to play and hang out for young people of different ages.
Other aspects of a new development which are more closely linked to cost and viability, such as the type of housing and provision of services, are sometimes more difficult for young people to engage with and influence.
The Voice, Opportunity, Power toolkit has five sessions, all which can be accessed and downloaded for free on the website.
GET INVOLVED: You can find out more and access all five toolkit sessions for free, which are intended to work within a typical RIBA design programme, on its website.
START A PROJECT: Are you interested in urban regeneration, adapting our communities to be better for us all? Head to Span Trust, who funds UK projects for this.
