The Key Learnings of the Urban Living Labs

The TRUSTMAKING project is coming to an end. On the one hand, this is a sad moment, as valuable and fulfilling activities are being finalised, at least for the time being. Yet, on the other hand, it allows us to draw valuable insights from the ULLs, which will help to build knowledge for future ULLs implementation, knowledge creation and sharing, and youth inclusivity. The entire project team is currently working on the guidelines for the trust making. Here, different ULLs are used as a method, which provides detailed information on how the activities took place and what knowledge they created. These ULLs are based in Austria, the Netherlands, Norway and Lithuania. This blog post presents some interesting insights from the team meeting during Summer School in Lithuania. This blog post consists of two major parts; the first one focuses on the general experience of ULL and the other on trust making principles.

Key learnings across the different ULL activities

The framework of this project enabled the young people to share their critical perspectives on their urban environment. Through active participation, it became clear that young people, regardless of their age, deeply understand urban public spaces and their function in their daily lives. Youth exposed a few critical points. One of them presents issues that enable the solution of practical infrastructural changes. In this case, the young people expressed a strong desire to solve infrastructural problems such as inconvenient or unsafe cycle paths. Yet, the final solution to improve that infrastructure is not in their hands. Although they argued how these changes could make their daily commute easier and more enjoyable, it does not mean that it will be a convincing argument from the overarching city’s perspective.

Additionally, much research shows how important infrastructure is for physical activity for the urban youth. That is why during TRUSTMAKING, several project activities were linked to the investigation of such infrastructure or even its establishment. As the Vienna example shows, sometimes temporary infrastructure could become permanent one, since it had such a strong effect on local youth. So, these spaces, by significantly contributing to good health, also offer the opportunity to socialise and build a community.

Further, throughout the entire project time, youth have shown that unconventional spaces for artistic expression are essential to them. Many young participants emphasised the need for spaces that enable creative expression. These unconventional spaces can foster innovation and provide opportunities for artistic experimentation that contribute to the vibrancy of urban life.

Last but not least finding that we would like to point out here is how important the link between youth participation in ULL activities and tangible benefits in their educational environment. By aligning the project with school programmes or extracurricular activities and offering community service, we observed a significant increase in youth engagement and the rise of interest in the project. Youth are more likely to participate in urban planning activities when they see direct and tangible benefits that fit with their personal and educational interests.

Key Learnings on Trust Making Principles

Building trust is at the heart of any collaboration. Especially when the question is not easy, comfortable, or clear. Almost all questions in urban planning are complex and rarely have answers that suit all involved stakeholders. Many of these questions are getting particularly loaded if the youth is involved since they will be the future users of the places, yet they rarely have the tools, knowledge and experience to communicate their ideas and present their arguments at the expert level. However, if the trust between youth and experts, including governmental representatives, is established, youth could present their ideas and will be respected project partners. So, in order to be able to establish trust as a project outcome we have identified several key principles that are essential for fostering trust by ULLs.

The first one is effective and transparent communication between all stakeholders, which is essential for building and maintaining trust. In this project, shared communication channels helped create a space where ideas could flow freely so everyone felt heard and understood. The debates with youth helped to hear various nuances of such communication. For example, if the project team is located in the area and is able to establish a safe space for youth to come and discuss sometimes even unrelated topics, that build-up of personal connections significantly contributes to trust and openness as well as easier communication. Additionally, we observed how vital that contact place for youth to meet with experts would be where they feel comfortable or at events tailored to their interests. Such events always tend to be more productive and inspiring.

The next very important aspect is that trust forms, although separated in scientific literature, are very closely linked in reality. So, trust in oneself and trust in others go hand in hand. By fostering self-confidence in the young participants, we found that their willingness to trust and cooperate with others, including city officials and planners, increased. This mutual trust is the foundation for successful co-design and planning efforts.

Here, we presented just a few points of our upcoming book. So, please stay tuned for future blog posts and book.