The social life of the sidewalk
Although many young people travel independently in the city, transportation research seldom considers the experiential qualities of their routes, focusing instead on the functional aspects of mode choice. More in-depth understanding of how adolescents experience, negotiate, and perceive everyday mobility can support informed design, policy, and planning interventions to make these journeys safer and more enjoyable
High Line Fellows: Emerging Leaders Program
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.
Zine Archive
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
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.
Child Friendly Cities Initiative
The Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) is a UNICEF-led initiative that supports municipal governments in realizing the rights of children at the local level using the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as its foundation.
It is also a network that brings together government and other stakeholders such as civil society organizations, the private sector, academia, media and, importantly, children themselves who wish to make their cities and communities more child-friendly.
The initiative was launched in 1996 by UNICEF and UN-Habitat to act on the resolution passed during the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) to make cities liveable places for all.
The wellbeing of children is the ultimate indicator of a healthy habitat, a democratic society and of good governance.
UN Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II)
Child Friendly Map
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.
Placemaking for Children and Youth
An illustrated, essential guide to engaging children and youth in the process of urban design
From a history of children’s rights to case studies discussing international initiatives that aim to create child-friendly cities, Placemaking with Children and Youth offers comprehensive guidance in how to engage children and youth in the planning and design of local environments. It explains the importance of children’s active participation in their societies and presents ways to bring all generations together to plan cities with a high quality of life for people of all ages. Not only does it delineate best practices in establishing programs and partnerships, it also provides principles for working ethically with children, youth, and families, paying particular attention to the inclusion of marginalized populations.
by Victoria Derr, Louise Chawla and Mara Mintzer
Mara Mintzner
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
Growing Up Boulder (GUB) is a nonprofit that works to make Boulder and communities around the world better places for children and young people—by giving them a meaningful role in shaping the places where they live. Founded in 2009 as a partnership between the City of Boulder, Boulder Valley School District, and the University of Colorado Boulder, GUB brings young people into planning and design processes that have traditionally been led almost entirely by adults.
Through partnerships with schools, government agencies, designers, community organizations, and families, GUB creates opportunities for children and youth to investigate their communities, articulate what they need, and contribute directly to decisions about public spaces, transportation, housing, civic facilities, and other aspects of city life. Its work is grounded in the idea that young people are not simply future citizens or eventual users of cities: they are residents with valuable knowledge and perspectives about the places they inhabit right now.
Rajesh Sankat
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 Aquino
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 Wedderburn
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
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.
Eva’s
Eva’s Initiatives for Homeless Youth is a Toronto-based organization working to end youth homelessness through shelter, housing support, employment and life-skills programs, and long-term pathways to independence. Across three shelter sites, Eva’s combines immediate safety with culturally responsive care and practical support designed to help young people build stability, community, and lasting housing.