Analysing urban open spaces in Victoria, Gozo through participatory urbanism using the 23Four Youth Group as a case study

Abstract

Youths nowadays face challenges when it comes to speaking up and voicing their opinions. It is normal for them to stay behind their phone and communicate with each other virtually. Putting this means of communication to good use, this study aims to determine how with the ideal design, urban open spaces can bring more youths together. Research has found that well-designed public spaces in urban areas are important and the impacts they have on the social and psychological well-being of communities. This study highlights that youths often lack spaces tailored to their preferences and aims to address this by conducting participatory mapping research with youths in Victoria, Gozo. The dissertation’s objectives include connecting youths from different areas and backgrounds through a digital map, understanding how urban features influence youth space usage, creating an interactive map to collect data from youths, and making recommendations for attractive community spaces in Gozo. This will result in having youths speak openly about the current choice of open spaces, inform current design decisions, and extract potential pointers for future design. The dissertation also examines the urban criteria proposed by Jane Jacobs, Kevin Lynch, and Jan Gehl regarding youths in urban open spaces. It highlights limitations in their approaches, emphasizing the neglect of specific youth needs, including safe play areas, recreational facilities, and creative spaces. While their works contribute to urban design, they lack comprehensive guidelines for creating inclusive and engaging environments for youths. Addressing these gaps is crucial for ensuring vibrant and accessible urban spaces for all age groups. The findings of the study reveal several key insights which mainly include that waterfronts are not highly sought-after by youths, but they have the potential to attract them if redesigned for youth activities. Moreover, streets are less preferred by youths due to safety concerns primarily related to inadequate lighting and accessibility. On the other hand, restaurants or cafes are the most favoured spaces for youths, but cost limits frequenting. Creating similar public spaces with seating is recommended. Also, squares in the main town centre are often overcrowded and lack safety, but pedestrianized squares like Pjazza San Ġorġ are appreciated.