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THE INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN DESIGN

EDITORIAL

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METROPOLISES DON'T SEEM TO CARE MUCH ABOUT YOUNG PEOPLE

THE BIG PICTURE Young, enabled, European.

METROPOLIS EXPLAINED Budapest

URBAN PIONEERS Ruth Ellis Center

β youth

The unknown demographic • The phase when a person has grown out of childhood but is not yet quite an adult is what we call youth or adolescence. It is a strange phase of disorientation in which the psyche and physique change, sometimes dramatically, and in which people find and consolidate their own identity. It happens, sometimes loud and rumbling, and boundaries are tested, so that for a while the once innocent child is seen more as a social threat, before – hopefully – becoming a happy and well-integrated member of a society. But we know too little about the needs of our urban youth and that is an oversight.

What would I wish for Prague?/Co bych Praze peál? ˇ

INVOLVING YOUTH: THE STOCKHOLM WAY • Stockholm’s population is approaching the one million mark, making it one of the fastest growing areas in Europe. At the same time, the population is predominantly made up of young people. Therefore, the Swedish city is increasingly making efforts to involve its youth in urban planning processes. A look at challenges, grievances as well as promising endeavors.

“PLANNING SHOULD PROVIDE ACCESS TO INSPIRING AND WELL-FUNCTIONING OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENTS FOR CHILDREN” • Victoria Nordholm is a spatial planner. She has worked in different municipalities with comprehensive planning and detailed planning for about 15 years, including the County Administrative Board. For the past 6 years, she has been working at Boverket, the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, with comprehensive planning and other strategic planning. One of the assignments has been to produce guidance on children in spatial planning.

TORONTO AND ITS YOUTH: LESSONS FROM CANADA • Involving youth in urban planning is a challenge for many cities. Toronto in Canada is a vibrant and diverse city that has long recognised the importance of engaging young people in shaping its urban landscape. By offering a Youth Engagement Strategy and a Youth Cabinet among other things, Toronto fosters and acknowledges the contributions of the younger generation for people-centric places.

“OFTEN IGNORED IN THE DESIGN OF OUR PUBLIC SPACES? ALMOST CERTAINLY.” • As the chief planner of Canada’s largest city, Toronto, his decisions impact nearly three million people, about half a million of whom are in the 10-24 age group. We spoke to him about how youth are considered in Toronto’s urban planning, what responsibility urban planning has towards young people and whether he sees them as dangerous.

YOUNG PEOPLE IN NEW YORK • The splashing and screaming at Highbridge Pool can be heard from Highbridge Park. The huge municipal swimming pool from the 40s, built by the legendary Robert Moses, is located in Washington Heights. From this highest point on the island, the historic stone arch bridge, the "High Bridge," crosses the Harlem River into the Bronx. Fresh water once flowed over the bridge into Manhattan.

“IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA, THAT IDEA CAN GO SOMEWHERE. BUT YOU HAVE TO CARE ENOUGH.” • Young people will have to deal with decisions made now longer than the adults who make them. That’s what Connie Chan, who works in the NYC Department of City Planning, points out when talking about urban planning in New York City. How the voices of youth find their way into...