Engaging Children and Young People in Planning: A Handbook for Transformative Practice

Engaging Children and Young People in Planning places planners’ skills for engagement with children and young people centre stage by discussing several projects delivered or supported by planning students to young people in the Northeast of England. Urban or town and country planning is a largely unfamiliar concept to children and young people. Moreover, in England, the environment in which young people live, play and go to school is shaped by a local planning process which lacks their input. This book explores the nature of the gap between that planning process and the voice of the younger members of the community, as well as the barriers that impede this engagement. It highlights why an engagement process is beneficial for those young people, for the wider community and for the planning process itself. At a time when our relationship with and impact on, the environment is being re-examined, this book challenges the planning professional to identify, develop and reflect upon the engagement skills that will help to transform planning into a more inclusive practice. It will be of use to scholars and practitioners in urban planning, community planning, engagement and children’s rights, whilst supporting their academic and professional development pathways.