Drive for equity: the impact of youth-generated evidence on transportation policy

Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) offers a powerful approach for young people to analyse, critique and mobilise for equity within adult-controlled transportation systems. This article, authored by an intergenerational team (students, teachers and a university researcher) utilising a collective autoethnographic approach, examines two school-based YPAR projects in Denver, Colorado, that sought to influence local transportation policy. One addresses a deadly street, and the other insufficient bus services. Findings suggest that youth policy demands achieved greater success when they were clearly articulated with actionable solutions, grounded in data reflecting young people's lived experiences of the problem, and presented to adult decision-makers who were willing to genuinely listen and act. The cases also highlight the compelling potential for in-school YPAR initiatives to drive tangible social and policy change in the surrounding community. Ultimately, transportation inequities serve as a critical opportunity for youth and civic leaders to meaningfully collaborate and enact inclusive systemic reform.