young people and cities

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YOUNG PEOPLE AND CITIES: PUBLIC OPEN SPACE AND SOCIAL INCLUSION The research centre for inclusive access to outdoor environments

The Research Question: 

The Research Question Are teenagers a socially excluded group with regard to public open space in Edinburgh? 2 Young People and Cities: Public Open Space and Social Inclusion SUBQUESTIONS: Where do teenagers go? When do they go out? How far? What do they do? Whom do they go out with? What are the things they like about these places? What are the things they dislike about these places? Do they feel safe in these places? What would their ideal place be like?

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3 Young People and Cities: Public Open Space and Social Inclusion METHODOLOGY Focus Groups: Interviews with high school students from two age groups (12 - 14 and 15 - 17 year olds) In situ participant observation of teenage activities in the places they frequent in the city centre Youthscope Survey 2001 by Edinburgh City Council STATE OF THE PROJECT 9 focus groups with 97 students from four high schools in Edinburgh 15 informal interviews with teenagers in two places in the city centre

Focus GroupsTeenagers’ Favourite Places: 

Focus Groups Teenagers’ Favourite Places GIRLS: Princes Street Starbucks Cafe Fountain Park (new cinema complex with pizzas, bowling etc) Cameron Toll (shopping mall) Princes Street Gardens BOYS: Princes Street. McDonalds car park behind the Sheraton Hotel and streets for skateboarding tennis courts (for football) golf courses, artificial ski slope 4 Young People and Cities: Public Open Space and Social Inclusion

Focus GroupsTeenagers’ Activities in Their Favourite Places : 

Focus Groups Teenagers’ Activities in Their Favourite Places GIRLS: socialising and meeting friends shopping going to cinema sitting in Princes Street Gardens with friends walking in Pentland Hills (near Balerno) BOYS: socialising and meeting friends shopping going to McDonalds doing sports skateboarding playing football going to clubs for under 16 5 Young People and Cities: Public Open Space and Social Inclusion

Focus GroupsDescription of Favourite Places : 

Focus Groups Description of Favourite Places Pros: accessibility (good transport) variety of different amenities (shops, restaurants, cafes, cinemas) modern, fun and comfortable places safe places Cons: presence of gangs and drug users presence of other teenage groups (i.e. ‘goths’, ‘neds’) crowded streets few places to skateboard without getting kicked off 6 Young People and Cities: Public Open Space and Social Inclusion

Focus GroupsOutdoor Places: 

Focus Groups Outdoor Places Pros: Relax socialise do sports enjoy the greenery and fresh air Cons: boring places(not much to do) dangerous places (The Meadows) weather restriction (rain and cold) General Observation: A high percentage of participants - mostly 15-17 year olds - in the case study showed lack of interest for outdoor green spaces. 7 Young People and Cities: Public Open Space and Social Inclusion

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Question: Do you go to any parks and other outdoor green places in Edinburgh? Girl: If the weather is nice, yes, I would go and sit in a park otherwise, I would stay at home or go shopping…and the weather usually is not good for that. Boy: When you get older you want to go out more often, socialising and going out to drink, going to pubs and clubs and stuff. When I was younger I was just happy playing football in the local park but now I want more. Boy: I used to go to parks a lot when I was at the primary school but now I go to Princes Street and Fountain Park. 8 Young People and Cities: Public Open Space and Social Inclusion

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Question: Do you go to any parks and other outdoor green places in Edinburgh? Girl: Why would I want to knock about there? There’s nothing there! You just walk through a park. I find parks boring. Girl: If it was my choice there’d be no trees or bushes or nothing like that ‘cause I just don’t like them. Boy: There’re very few parks that you actually think ‘oh let’s go there’. Girl: There’s not an outside place that you could say ‘let’s meet there’, there’re always inside. Boy: There’s nothing appealing about going to a park. Boy: I’ve never met anyone in Princes Street Gardens. 9 Young People and Cities: Public Open Space and Social Inclusion

Focus GroupsDangerous Places: 

Focus Groups Dangerous Places Old Town (dark alleys and narrow closes) Cockburn Street (‘hang out’ place for goths) Bristo Square (‘hang out’ place for skateboarders) Wester Hailes (‘hang out’ place for rival gangs) The Meadows and Fountain Park (after dark) Lothian Road (drunk people) Leith Walk (gay bars and clubs) 10 Young People and Cities: Public Open Space and Social Inclusion

Focus Groups: 

Focus Groups 11 Young People and Cities: Public Open Space and Social Inclusion Dangerous Places Boy: “I skateboard at Bristo Square” PT: “Do you find it safe for you to go there?” Boy: “No, if you go alone but usually I go with a big group of friends. I try not to go, just me and like one other friend, because there are people, like dealing drugs and things in the corners and it's not very safe”

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Focus Groups Safest Place 12 Young People and Cities: Public Open Space and Social Inclusion “Princes Street –an open place, plenty of people, lots of adults and shop-keepers if you feel scared, you go and stand near the shop security guy.” (15 year old girl)

Focus GroupsIdeal Place : 

Focus Groups Ideal Place 13 Young People and Cities: Public Open Space and Social Inclusion Street with grass for sitting, playing football More coffee bars, shops (clothes), food Skatepark More activity and sports, including extreme sports Basketball, football, ice-rink, bowling, cinema, swimming pool near centre of town Teen sports centre where 12-yr-olds can go, with outdoor and indoor activities Easy to get to – good, frequent bus routes

Focus Groups Edinburgh Ideal Places: 

Focus Groups Edinburgh Ideal Places 14 Young People and Cities: Public Open Space and Social Inclusion Girl(14 yrs): “It would be nice if they build a skate park and then a Costa café where we could sit and watch them skating”

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Focus Groups Suggestions to Planners & City Council 15 Young People and Cities: Public Open Space and Social Inclusion Girl: “To create more places where teenagers could go. You see there’s really nothing for teenagers apart from these nights which are so boring ‘cause most of the people there are too young.” Girl: “What’s missing from the city are places specifically made for us not some thing that is trying to be kiddie and then end up patronising everybody because all these places try to be for us but made by adults and that’s make them look stupid.”

Focus GroupsFinal Observations: 

Focus Groups Final Observations ‘Outdoor’ places: any place beyond and away from home Where they live is boring Younger teenagers (12/14 years) more concerned about safety Older teenagers (15/17 years) more concerned about lack of facilities Physical characteristics of outdoor/indoor places less important than possibility of being with friends Use of outdoors varies with weather, night-day and seasonal changes (i.e. cold-warm) Older teenagers (particularly from Wester Hailes) do NOT find green urban areas attractive. 16 Young People and Cities: Public Open Space and Social Inclusion

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17 Young People and Cities: Public Open Space and Social Inclusion FURTHER RESEARCH Interviews with 6 more high schools Interviews with youth club members Interviews with skateboarders and planners responsible for design of The Meadows Skatepark Interviews with young people from ethnic minority groups and disadvantaged environments In situ participant observation Using visual research methods (video and photography)

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MAP OF AREAS USED IN THE CASE STUDY 18 Young People and Cities: Public Open Space and Social Inclusion

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19 Young People and Cities: Public Open Space and Social Inclusion MAP 1: BRISTO SQUARE SKATERS’ MOVEMENT

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MAP 7: EAST PRINCES STREET GARDENS - WEEKDAY 20 Young People and Cities: Public Open Space and Social Inclusion