Fostering youth-enabling environments: A participatory affordance-capability framework for the development and use of youth-engaged environmental assessments

Environmental assessments based on an Affordance-Capability Approach to youth involvement can lead to the development of youth-enabling community environments Planning processes for public space environments generally do not include youth, even though youth are often the intended users of such community public spaces as parks. Excluding youth from the planning process can lead to under-utilized environments and limited opportunities for youth to engage in activities that promote their overall health and well-being. This paper presents a conceptual approach to involving youth in the development and utilization of environmental assessments that can inform the planning of environments that reflect the needs and interests of youth. Such environments are referred to as “youth-enabling environments”, in that they can enhance the well-being of youth and support their positive development.

The proposed approach is based on a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) framework, which uses “an iterative process of reflection and action that values building relationships, establishing trust, mutual learning, and active collaboration with peers and adults.” The ultimate goal of YPAR is “to improve the lives of youth and their communities through transformative, socially-just action.” The YPAR process generally involves inquiry driven by the experiences of youth and research carried out collaboratively between youth and adults. The proposed approach also integrates elements from affordance theory, the Capability Approach, and positive youth development. Both affordance theory and the Capability Approach consider “the opportunities and resources in social and physical environments that adolescents can leverage to achieve their goals, leading to capability formation and healthy development.” The proposed approach combines affordance theory and the Capability Approach into an Affordance-Capability Approach (ACA), which specifically addresses how the physical and social surroundings of youth impact their well-being, desires, and achievement. Integrating ACA into the YPAR framework is offered as a way to promote the goals of positive youth development, including such pro-social goals as empathy, altruism, belonging, self-worth, and realization of skills and interests.

Community planning based on the proposed conceptual approach to involving youth in the development and utilization of environmental assessments shifts the focus from specific designs and discrete features to the relationship between youth and community spaces. This shift can lead to the development of spaces that reflect “what youth think and feel about their own lives and freedoms.” This approach honors the capabilities and desires of youth, as well at their right to participate according to their values and needs.