Youth in Placemaking: Barriers and Benefits

Youth well-being and development are shaped by their physical environments, yet youth presence in public space is declining globally. Placemaking offers a promising strategy for re-engagement, though its benefits have been mostly studied in the Global North. This paper examines youth-led placemaking in Ecuador, Indonesia, and Colombia through interviews, focus groups, and secondary data. Findings reveal barriers related to cumbersome collaboration with other stakeholders, persisting stigma towards youth, and linguistic challenges. Nonetheless, shared benefits emerged across contexts, including increased use of space, skills development, place attachment, safety, connectedness, and youth agency.