Page 5 - Shelter, October 2024

THEME PAPER

EMPOWERED YOUTH, INCLUSIVE CITIES

ADISHREE PANDA The paper begins with an The paper concludes with ways
overview on the importance in which city governments,
of achieving effective urban communities, and citizens can
governance from a youth lens engage and empower youth
to address well-being issues towards building inclusive
of vulnerable segments in our cities - such as mandating
community. Highlighting the public participation and citizen
crucial role of participatory engagement, institutionalising
approaches in developing and accountable mechanisms of
implementing policies, the focus planning and budgeting,
of the paper is on the importance of enhancing digital literacy,
incorporating youth perspectives and supporting place making
in urban development processes. interventions.
Aligning with the Leave No
One Behind principle of the Introduction
2030 Agenda, key enablers for Young people are more
mainstreaming youth and gender concentrated in cities than
perspectives have then been ever, accounting for a
discussed for different planning sizable share of the global
and implementation stages. urban population. In many
For a pivotal urban countries, young people
transformation, the key enablers aged 15 to 29 years make up
for enhancing capacities of and one-quarter to almost half
empowering the youth across of various demographics,
five aspects have been elaborated making contributions in the
upon - 1) urban policies social and economic activities
and legislations, 2) urban in cities. India is home to a
planning and design, 3) finance fifth of the world’s youth
mechanisms and resource demographic with 27.2% of
allocation, 4) digital engagement, the total population of 2021
and 5) public advocacy. For each in the age group of 15-29
Adishree Panda, Project Officer - aspect, various participatory years and demonstrates the
Urban, UN-Habitat India; adishree. approaches, digital tools, and aspirations of the young to be
panda@un.org engagement methods that cities part of city life (MoSPI, 2022).
Yusra Khan, Voluntary Researcher, are adopting have been illustrated As the country experiences
UN-Habitat India; 18yphoenix@ through global and national case this demographic pattern
gmail.com studies. of a “youth bulge” along

October, 2024, Volume 25. No.1 - SHELTER 3