Safe and Sound Cities

✨Young people need to be actively included when considering urban safety and wellbeing metrics, in order to encourage public space usage and engagement by the youth population, and to strengthen their relationship with city spaces.

On today’s feature from the special issue of the The Journal of Public Space (), we are spotlighting: “Between Perception and Reality: Socio-spatial Factors Affecting Youth Wellbeing in Public Space in Cuenca and Ambato.”

In this case study, Viviana A. Cordero-Vinueza (University of Groningen), Juan Martin Pesantez, Amelia Tapia, Pedro Coello, and Fabián Bermeo from our local partner , analyse youth wellbeing in Cuenca and Ambato through perception surveys and a comparison with official dashboard data on urban wellbeing.

The findings reveal that the differences between official safety metrics and young people’s perception of public spaces weaken their connection to the city and reduce public space usage, ultimately affecting their wellbeing. The study also presents the experience of these cities using placemaking as a tool to bridge this gap and improve youth engagement with urban spaces.

💡 This paper offers valuable insights for urban planners, designers, and policymakers that may be interested in addressing the role of socio-spatial factors in youth wellbeing in cities, with properties that can be replicated and scaled around the globe.

📖 Read the paper: https://www.journalpublicspace.org/index.php/jps/article/view/1866 [Link in Bio]

Stay tuned as we continue to feature each contribution from this special issue—capturing insights from two years of collective research, learning, and youth-led action across our global programme.

✨Developing a programme like S²Cities requires deep systems-understanding, built on a variety of insights from academia and field practice to navigate through urban youth safety and wellbeing.

On today’s feature from the S²Cities special issue of the The Journal of Public Space, we are spotlighting: “Developing a Global Programme for Safer Cities, from Design to Implementation.”

In this article, Jens Aerts from OSLUM (Office for Sustainable Land & Urban Management), the Strategic Placemaking Advisor for S²Cities, maps out the conceptualisation stages of the Safe and Sound Cities programme, highlighting its evolution and contribution to advancing urban youth safety.

This study argues that safety in cities must be redefined through the lived experiences of young people, advocating for a shift from reactive, enforcement-led approaches to proactive, participatory strategies rooted in placemaking and relational wellbeing. In this context, the article also highlights the role of the S²Cities programme as a model for youth-driven systemic change, aiming to scale and adapt solutions across diverse urban contexts.

💡This paper offers valuable insights for urban planners, designers, and policymakers that may be interested in the S²Cities programme and the intricacies of bringing about youth-led change, with properties that can be replicated and scaled around the globe.

📖 Read the paper: https://www.journalpublicspace.org/index.php/jps/article/view/1876 [Link in Bio]

Stay tuned as we continue to feature each contribution from this special issue—capturing insights from two years of collective research, learning, and youth-led action across our global programme.