Participatory planning can have significant positive impacts on young people while also contributing valuable ideas to the planning processes

The Comprehensive Master Plan developed in 2010 for the city of Boulder, Colorado addresses environmental, economic and social sustainability goals. These goals include “an engaged community that is inclusive, cooperative, and innovative.” The city also supports a child- and youth-friendly initiative referred to as Growing Up Boulder (GUB) which uses a participatory planning framework to give voice to people who will be most affected by decisions, including children and youth. GUB involves a partnering of the City of Boulder, Boulder Valley School District, and the Program in Environmental Design at the University of Colorado. The case study presented in this paper exemplifies how this partnership allowed children and youth to be actively involved in addressing the future of density within Boulder.

Sixteen secondary students (age 14-15) and fifty-two primary students (age 8-9) participated in this study through the GUB initiative, which targets schools with a greater proportion of students from low-income and ethnically diverse families. GUB staff met with each group of students to introduce the topic of urban density and to discuss the city’s Comprehensive Housing Strategy’s goals for increased dense, affordable housing in child-friendly neighborhoods. The project focused on one specific 40-acre site – Athens Court – which had been evacuated after recent flooding.

The primary students used a variety of methods (e.g., drawings, independent research, field trips, etc.) to consider different aspects of their existing neighborhoods and exemplary neighborhoods before developing recommendations for Athens Court. The secondary students also researched sustainable neighborhood design, analyzed the Athens Court site, and then developed recommendations for the city. Both groups of students shared their ideas and participated in a series of design reviews with undergraduate students at the University of Colorado’s Program in Environmental Design. They then developed and used drawings, three-dimensional models, and digital presentations to share their recommendations with the city staff and others involved in the city planning process. After the presentations, students wrote reflection papers about what they had learned through the process. Participating students also completed a questionnaire before and after the project addressing their level of participation and citizenship.

Recommendations from primary and secondary students showed a “great deal of overlap.” Both groups recommended diverse natural areas with such natural features as “plantings, gardens, fruit trees, and wild zones.” Their recommendations included an integration of features rather than discrete zones for different age groups. The students requested that play areas be safe and within or near housing areas so that they could be accessed without crossing roads. Feedback from participating students indicated that they valued the number of opportunities this project provided for dialogue and collaboration. They also felt that their voices had been heard. Other benefits of this project for the students included more positive attitudes toward the government and increased understanding of diverse needs within a city. This study indicates that participatory planning can have significant impacts on children and youth while also contributing new and meaningful ideas to the planning processes.