Future voices: Bringing young people into planning.
By Poppy Lown – Senior Account Executive
The developments of today shape the places young people grow up in, yet they are typically one of the least visible groups in the planning process. To help inspire interest in future development, and to understand what younger people want from the built environment around them, Cavendish has established a Youth Panel.
Throughout the year, we’ll be inviting young people to join our panel and share perspectives on planning and development, accessibility and inclusivity, so that our engagement and our clients’ projects better reflect the priorities of the next generation, not just the loudest voices in the room.
Our first session took us to Europe’s youngest city, Birmingham, where we met Year 10 and Year 13 pupils. We introduced the pupils to the world of planning and local development and invited them to share their views on how developers can engage with local communities.
Public engagement around new developments can often lean towards negativity, focusing on what isn’t working rather than what is. But when we asked pupils to describe their city in one word, their responses reflected optimism and pride in place: diversity, food, culture, home. Their reluctance to speak negatively about the city highlighted how valuable young voices can be in shaping the tone of local engagement and how their perspective can bring opportunities into focus.
After reflecting on existing spaces, we asked the pupils to think about the future. Tasked with designing a masterplan for a new town of 20,00 people, they drew, mapped, and noted down their aspirations. Much of their ideas focused on creating a town that was inclusive and worked for everyone, with local renewable energy powering the town, and sustainable transport to keep things moving.
It was clear that for many young people, development can feel like something that happens to them rather than with them. The Cavendish Youth Panel is designed to change that, making planning feel less distant and showing younger people that their ideas can and should help shape what gets built around them.
If you would like to know more about our Youth Panel then get in touch with the team today.
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