Creating Safer Urban Environments: Insights from Europe’s Youth

Important steps are being made at the level of the European Union concerning children’s rights. The establishment of the Children’s Participation Platform is one such effort seeking to be the space where youth can make their voice heard and move on their right to participate in decision-making.

Aligned with the core objective of the EU strategy on the Rights of the Child in 2023, a study into the perception of safety by children and teenagers was undertaken. The study aligns with the ongoing aims and ambitions and seeks to give further insight into where and how action can be taken to improve the protection of children.

The outcomes of that study tell a compelling story about the aspirations and needs of Europe’s youngest citizens and offer useful insight also for practitioners and planners who work with children's rights and equity in the context of spatial planning and governance.

Listening to Children’s Voices

The study consisted of a diverse sample of 1,095 children between the ages of 7 and 17, residents from across 21 European Union countries. This provides good coverage, offering a solid overview across the European Member States, which is very positive and well-received, especially in light of the varying levels of reporting about the condition of children and youth in different national contexts. The differences in available data and insight on this topic across the Member States are something that needs to be addressed, and this study is an important step in filling some of the gaps.

Of interest is how children and youth were involved and how that included different data collection methods, allowing them to express needs and circumstances on core questions uniquely. Engaging children and youth in research where their condition is being investigated, and are regarded as agentic beings acknowledged as having expertise, is a welcome shift from a more traditional expert-driven approach, which has marked policy-making in the field over the past decades. For instance, in Sweden, the Child Impact Assessment (CIA) is a well-known and widely used tool by municipalities on matters of spatial planning and urban governance on which Nordström has written about here.

Bakhtiar at al. (2023) in thier study note how the choice of conducting research with closer involvement of children and youth can be seen as beeing a political one given it eventually reflects a standpoint on power relations.

The largest proportion of research and policy work in the field is led by experts — professionals with specialized skills and knowledge derived from training or education. Experts provide information, deliver assessments, and compile data about local and/or national conditions. While expert input is crucial on many topics, on matters involving social groups, relying exclusively on experts or scientific input may prove to be insufficient, as it could provide an incomplete viewpoint. Particularly when assessing interventions, relying solely on expert input would not allow us to see the extent and magnitude of the impact these interventions have on the lives of the social groups such interventions target.

Addressing Needs in Diverse Spaces

The study gathered data and insight into what helps young Europeans to feel safe. Data collected shows how that topic is seen in connection to public places e.g. schools, parks, and also other built environments e.g. roads.

It is interesting to read about young Europeans’ ideas and needs in relation to after-school activities and their need for more meeting places, not all of which need to be solely focused on sports. This relates to the time they spend outside the school setting and how they see adult support in that regard as well. The study suggests that youth indeed see adults as having a central role in fostering more inclusive communities beyond the classroom. Supportive caregivers and mentors emerge as central to creating safer environments.

Importantly, children advocate for active participation in decision-making processes, emphasizing their desire for respect, inclusion, and transparency from the adults around them.

The study offers some interesting input for those working with children and youth in planning and urban governance.