Resources

Knowledge and lessons learned during the project through various kind of activities is collected here for public use, as well as international academic articles on youth participation in urban community development. Please note, some resources are only available in full in Thai, but provide an English summary.

The RTUS Tool Kit serves as a resource for youth groups and other government and civil society organizations in Thailand seeking to engage with youth participation in urban development and planning. It is intended as a practical source of guidance based on the experiences and feedback from stakeholders involved in the project.

Evaluation of Youth Participation in Urban Development through Youth-led Activities under the ReThink Urban Spaces Project
by Shma

This study report is a continuation of the previous report on the approaches to youth participation in urban development in five provinces in Thailand produced by Shma Company Limited in March 2022. The study has been conducted by comparing the case studies from other countries to those in Thailand with aims to monitor the outcomes of youth-led activities in terms of promoting youth participation in urban development under the Rethink Urban Spaces project.

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RTUS Concept for an Online Urban Youth Community Platform

The “Online Urban Youth Community Platform” concept is the result of a feasibility study for the development of an online platform driven by young people as a participatory tool to maintain the ReThink Urban Spaces project network.

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What is Youth Participation?

Youth participation strengthens personal and social development, provides expertise for children and youth programs and services, and promotes a more democratic society, but questions arise about its most fundamental phenomena. Lacking agreement on its basic content, however, youth participation as a field of practice and subject of study will be limited. This paper examines what we know about youth participation, general propositions which are substantiated by research or practice, and unanswered questions or unresolved issues which remain for future work. It draws upon various academic disciplines and professional fields, in order to contribute to knowledge development and advance the field.

Barry Checkoway: What is Youth Participation? (PDF, 889 kB)

Postcard illustrating young peoples’ wish for a soccer field in their neighbourhood

Young Urban Designers: Involving Children and Youth in Urban Development in Germany

People-oriented urban planning should embrace the involvement of young people as fellow citizens and this should take manifold forms. Urban planners as professionals should not only plan for young people but plan with young people and appreciate urban development promoted by young people. Since this undoubtedly poses great challenges for urban planners, this article presented different modes of participation which illustrate how young people can be involved as urban designers. The modes of state-led participation, youth advocate-led involvement and youth-led projects illustrate how urban development is shaped by young people’s knowledge, demands and ideas and these modes offer planning professionals different opportunities on how this can possibly be further enabled, fostered, intensified or channeled.

Anna Juliane Heinrich: Young Urban Designers(PDF, 2 MB)

Participation permitted – Young people building a wooden seating furniture on a participatory construction site

Young People as City Builders: Youth Participation in German Municipalities

In 2009 the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development launched a research program called “Adolescents in Urban Neighborhoods” to foster youth participation in urban development and planning in Germany. Over all, 55 pilot projects were funded and implemented across Germany to explore methods, instruments and strategies to involve youth in urban planning and decision-making processes between 2009 and 2013. To broaden up the understanding of what youth participation can be, chances and challenges of state-led participation and two further forms to engage with participation are discussed and further defined in the paper: the integration of youth-led projects in planning processes and youth-advocate-led participation.

Heinrich / Million: Young People as City Builders(PDF, 404 kB)

RTUS Tool Kit - Introduction

The RTUS Tool Kit serves as a resource for youth groups and other government and civil society organizations in Thailand seeking to engage with youth participation in urban development and planning. It is intended as a practical source of guidance based on the experiences and feedback from stakeholders involved in the project.
*PDF only available in Thai.

Tool Kit - Introduction(PDF, 1 MB)

RTUS Tool Kit Unit 1 - Working with Young People on Urban Issues

Considers definitions and approaches to youth participation, what barriers and benefits there are to youth participation, and covers principles and methods of youth participation in the context of urban design and development.
*PDF only available in Thai.

RTUS Tool Kit Unit 1 (PDF, 3 MB)

RTUS Tool Kit Unit 2 - Advocacy for Change

Introduces the topic of activism in urban youth policy and how it aims at influencing different aspects, such as the public perception of certain issues or the attitudes of policy makers. It also offers an overview and step-by-step guide to youth projects as a methodology to promote youth participation in urban processes.
*PDF only available in Thai.

Tool Kit Unit 2(PDF, 3 MB)

RTUS Tool Kit Unit 3 - Lobbying (Stakeholder Engagement)

Introduces the importance of cooperation between local authorities and youths as a necessary step in building strong, inclusive and democratic urban communities. It examines different methods that can be used to find out the interests of each side and to facilitate active collaboration.
*PDF only available in Thai.

Tool Kit Unit 3(PDF, 1 MB)

RTUS Tool Kit Unit 4 - Campaigning (Community Engagement)

Introduces the importance and tools of planning effective public communication with the local community in campaigning for changes in urban planning and policy.
*PDF only available in Thai.

Tool Kit Unit 4(PDF, 2 MB)

RTUS Tool Kit Unit 5 - Case Studies: Stakeholder and Community Engagement

Examines some examples of youth-led projects implemented between 2021 and 2023 in Thailand as case studies for stakeholder and community engagement, as well as an overview of the concept and methodology of youth capitals in Eastern Europe as format for sustainable promotion of youth participation in urban contexts.
*PDF only available in Thai.

Tool Kit Unit 5(PDF, 315 MB)

RTUS Tool Kit Unit 6 - Evaluation of Youth-Led Projects

Introduces methods for measuring and evaluating the outcomes, challenges, success and benefits of youth-led campaigns and projects aimed at facilitating youth participation in urban community development.
*PDF only available in Thai.

Tool Kit Unit 6(PDF, 2 MB)