Attention to the physical environment – including opportunities for nature-related experiences – found to be generally lacking in Youth Master Plans across the countryThis study focused on the potential of Youth Master Plans (YMP) for creating child- and youth-friendly communities. YMPs are fairly new and an understanding of what they are is limited. The aim of this study was to expand this understanding.
While YMPs are intended to be developed for children and youth, they are also intended to be developed by youth – or with meaningful youth involvement. There are currently over 40 YMPs in the U.S., with 72% of these plans being implemented in 2000 or later. Content analysis of 38 of these plans, along with an online questionnaire completed by 29 communities and semi-structured interviews with 4 key community informants, were used as data sources for this study.
Findings indicate that there is no clear definition of what constitutes a YMP or what should be included. This lack of clarity extends to what the essential components of a YMP should be, who should create them and how, and what they can or should accomplish. While elements of the physical environment -- including safety, access to nature, and sustainable transportation -- have been identified in previous studies as priorities for youth, any reference to these elements in the YMPs tend to be general rather than specific. Findings of this study also indicate that urban planners don’t typically take the lead in developing YMPs and in some cases aren’t involved at all. In communities where YMPs are developed, it’s often under the direction of child and youth workers or community administrators rather than planners.
The three most common self-reported focus areas of the YMPs are providing opportunities for youth civic engagement and community participation (58%); addressing health issues related to behavioral, physical, mental, and spiritual well-being (58%); and ensuring cooperation among community entities (58%). The natural environment was only mentioned briefly in 6 out of 38 YMPs, often referring briefly to preserving open space, recycling and environmental education. These findings are consistent with other studies indicating that communities tend to focus on programs and services for children and youth rather than improvements to the physical environment.
Overall, this study indicates that specific recommendations for changes to the physical environment are generally lacking in YMPs in the United States. As noted by the researcher, the environmental context is one area needing further attention. Within this context, considerations should be given to the positive impact of green areas, opportunities for experiences with nature, the need for both perceived and actual community safety, and the use of alternative transportation and the issues associated with it.
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