Rethinking public space from a youth perspective
The participatory process “Youth and Public Space” is framed within the context of the PAM (Municipal Action Plan) of the city council of Barcelona, from which are defined the strategic lines that must be applied in the policies promoted by the administration.
The purpose of the project is to know how public space is used by young people and the problems that are encountered in this urban context. To do this, the study is approached from a double perspective; On the one hand, a series of representative reference spaces in Barcelona are identified and analyzed separately and on the other hand, the topic is approached on a city scale.
To do this, we use the RPA methodology (Research – Participation – Action), taking youth collectives linked to each one of the spaces to prepare both the diagnosis and the proposals for improvement. Apart from that, an important part of the work is also focused on the professionals of the youth sector, who give their expert and direct vision on the process.
During the period that the project lasts, are used tools for collaborative work such as open workshops, questionnaires, group interviews, observation and “mapping” of urban dynamics… materials that adapt to each one of the study areas based on their specific characteristics.
The results obtained were a diagnosis of each one of the spaces and proposals linked to each one of them. In addition, a city vision on public spaces and youth was obtained through the collection of experiences and the contribution of the professionals of the sector.
Place
Barcelona
[1,620,343 inhabitants]
Scale of the project
Municipal
Type of project
Urban Strategies
Citizen cooperation
Duration
6 months [2016]
Promoters
Barcelona City Council,
Department of Youth,
Department of Services for
Children, Youth and the Elderly
Team
*estel (Arnau Boix, Mireia
Peris, Marc Deu, Konstantina
Chrysostomou, Esteve Boix)
Monodestudio, Urbanins
Collaborated
Barcelona Youth,
Agents and youth collectives