The Free Black Women’s Library is a social art project that features a collection of over 5000 books written by Black women and Black non-binary writers, a free store, a period pantry, a virtual Reading Club, a weekly book swap, and a wide array of workshops and free public programs.

The High Line Fellows: Emerging Leaders Program is a three-year, paid youth development program for those in their sophomore year of high school through senior year. Fellows gain leadership skills, explore careers, and prepare for college and beyond—with a starting pay of $18/hour. This opportunity is more than just their best first job experience: Fellows get a one-of-a-kind hands-on learning opportunity that draws from the High Line’s core strengths, building their confidence as leaders while connecting with peers and professionals across New York City.

The Youth-Led Libraries Zine Archive is a collection of zines created by New York City teens imagining what the libraries of the future could—and should—be. Developed through the Urban Design Forum’s Youth-Led Libraries of the Future project, the zines capture young people’s ideas about belonging, creativity, safety, technology, and public space, turning their experiences and aspirations into a colorful record of youth-led civic imagination.

Youth-led Libraries of the Future is an Urban Design Forum project exploring how young people can help shape libraries as spaces for learning, connection, creativity, and belonging. Working directly with teens, the project developed an arts-based curriculum, a zine archive, and nine youth-led design guidelines—reimagining libraries not simply as places for young people, but as civic spaces created with them.

UNICEF’s Child Friendly Cities Initiative helps local governments put children’s rights into practice through municipal policy and planning. Launched with UN-Habitat in 1996, the global network encourages cities to involve children themselves in creating communities where young people can thrive.

In 2019, Growing Up Boulder embarked upon a year-long process to co-create the nation's first, printed, bilingual, child friendly city map.  We did so with almost 800 children and families, half of whom were from underrepresented populations.  In May 2019, GUB published the first edition of the printed, bilingual, free map.  In October 2019, we published the second edition of the printed map. 

Victoria Derr, Louise Chawla, and Mara Mintzer offer a practical guide to involving children and young people in urban planning and design. Drawing on international examples, the book combines principles, case studies, and methods for meaningful, ethical, and inclusive youth participation.

Mara Mintzer helped found Growing Up Boulder (GUB) in 2009. A passionate advocate for child-friendly cities, Mara presents and writes internationally on the topic of engaging young people in inclusive community planning and development. Her expertise in engaging children and youth in meaningful ways to shape their own cities is requested by government and community organizations around the world.

Growing Up Boulder brings children and young people directly into the planning and design of their communities. Founded in 2009, the nonprofit works with schools, government, designers, and families to ensure young residents have a meaningful voice in decisions about the places where they live.

The Urban Design Forum brings together people across design, planning, development, government, advocacy, and civic life to shape the future of New York City. Through programs, fellowships, policy initiatives, and neighborhood partnerships, it treats citymaking as a collaborative civic practice.

With roots in Toronto, Canada, Rajesh is a writer, facilitator, and community-centered design practitioner at 3×3 Design. His work sits at the nexus of inclusive design and urban placemaking to translate community insights and aspirations into strategy development, the built environment, and narrative change. Rajesh has had his work and writing featured in AZURE and Afternoon Magazine, and holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Toronto.

Nichole Aquinois an UX Designer and Researcher with a decade of experience working at the intersection of design, technology, and social impact. She has shaped design and strategy for EdTech and CivicTech products, previously working at Newsela, The Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, and Blue Ridge Labs. She loves solving complex problems creatively and collaboratively, creating meaningful user experiences both on- and offline.

Donelle is a Jamaican-American writer and audio producer. Her work sits at the intersection of Black history, oral storytelling, and the built environment. She has contributed to developing and producing a range of broadcasts and audio documentaries for NPR, ABC News, Food Culture Collective x Heal Food Alliance, and Ten Percent Happier. In her free time, she loves to write poetry and draw connections between literature and landscape. Black women writers like Jamaica Kincaid, Toni Morrison, and June Jordan moved through the worlds of storytelling, urban planning, and design and showed me it was possible to do the same.

Ayana Smith is a native New Yorker and experienced youth organizer whose current practice focuses on implementing participatory creative placekeeping projects as a tool to increase public safety in and around public housing developments. Prior to her current position, she held leadership positions at Teens Take Charge and Student Voice and has served as a youth advisor for several organizations such as Race Forward. Her work has been featured in publications such as the New York Daily News and presented at conferences such as Grantmakers for Education through the National Public Education Support Fund.