How do young people see the public spaces in their city? What do they feel is missing, what do they want to preserve, and what would they change if we truly asked them?
Young people use the city every day – its streets, parks, promenades and green spaces – yet their opinions are rarely sought when decisions are made about what these spaces should look like and whom they should serve. For them, public space is not merely a physical area. It is a place of freedom, socialising, sport, creativity, meeting others and learning beyond school and family life. It is also one of the few places where they can spend time together without having to buy or pay for something.
This very idea inspired the new publication by the Dr Martin Schneider-Jacoby Association – MSJA, “Public Space Through the Eyes of Young People: What It Is, How It Works and What It Is For.”
This time, we did not want to tell young people what public space should look like. We wanted to ask them.
Together with students from the “Brotherhood and Unity” Secondary Mixed School in Ulcinj, we went out into the field and selected the Pine Forest – the area stretching from the site of the former Galeb Hotel to the zone beyond the Albatros Hotel – as the focus of our research. We observed what already exists and asked a few simple questions: How is this space used today? What is valuable and should be preserved? What is missing? Where are the barriers or risks? Is the space accessible to everyone? And how can we make it better?
Divided into four groups, the students developed their own proposals. Their task was not to design an entirely new space or suggest major construction work. On the contrary, they were asked to preserve the character of the Pine Forest, its greenery and natural setting, while making it more functional, safer and more accessible to everyone through simple, creative and sustainable interventions.
A variety of ideas emerged: improving the existing paths, creating a safer outdoor gym, providing places for rest and socialising, establishing an open-air library and a “Poetry Trail”, introducing activities and facilities for young people, improving accessibility, and adding benches, lighting, safety barriers, birdhouses and feeders. Other proposals focused on preserving the pine trees and creating better connections with the coast.
But when all the students’ work is placed side by side, their shared message becomes very clear: the Pine Forest should not be transformed – it should be preserved and made better for everyone.
This publication is therefore neither an urban plan nor a collection of ready-made projects. It presents young people’s perspective on a valuable public space in their city. The value of their work lies not only in the solutions they drew, but also in the questions they raise: Who does public space belong to? Who uses it? Who can access it? What should be preserved? And how can we work together to make it better?
Young people should not merely be users of spaces planned for them by others. They should be part of the process through which those spaces are conceived and shaped. Participation does not mean asking for their opinion once everything has already been decided. It means giving them the opportunity to observe, ask questions, make proposals and take part.
A city in which we want young people to stay must also be a city whose development they have a voice in.
Zenepa Lika, Dipl. Eng. Arch.
Executive Director
Dr Martin Schneider-Jacoby Association – MSJA
You can download the publication in Montenegrin here.
You can download the publication in Albanian here.
The publication “Public Space Through the Eyes of Young People” was produced as part of the project “Creative Guardians and the Voice of the Community for Ulcinj’s Natural and Cultural Heritage”, implemented by the Dr Martin Schneider-Jacoby Association – MSJA, with financial support from the European Endowment for Democracy – EED.
The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the donor.