Young people’s vision for Metzeschmelz: a fresh public space!

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“In my opinion, it is essential to take into account the voices of young people, who dream of many public spaces designed for them in the future Metzeschmelz district. These are the words of AGORA urban planner Zahira Malyani, who has become the voice of young people, passionately expressing their vision of the neighbourhood during various consultations. Her colleague Yves Biwer, co-ordinating director of the Metzeschmelz project, also notes a wealth of ideas among young people about public spaces and sporting activities. Here’s an overview.

Young people: from today to tomorrow

Developing a neighbourhood certainly means orchestrating the functions of housing, commercial life, institutional life, mobility, entertainment and culture. But, beyond these pillars of adult life, how do you plan a neighbourhood that fully integrates the needs of its future users? “In my opinion, young people are not consulted very often, but they represent the key to the development of the district,” explained Zahira Malyani, urban planner and project leader on the AGORA team. “Young people are the future homebuyers, the future working professionals and students in the district, the future parents… knowing their current needs is of the utmost importance if we are to design a district in which everyone can find their place.”

“For me, an urban district that meets the needs of our time really has to be co-created with all its future users,” added Yves Biwer, director and coordinator of the Metzeschmelz project. “Ascertaining the vision of younger people is a challenge. It’s up to us to vary our approach in order to reach them where they are. For example, we organised workshops with children aged 0 to 6 as part of the PIPPILOTTA project with UP_FOUNDATION, which invites toddlers to design a village.”

The art of promoting young people’s ideas

The PIPPILOTTA project is one of a number of initiatives involving young people in Luxembourg. “I find it fascinating to see how passionate young people are about urban development issues, when they are consulted in a creative way,” enthused Yves Biwer.

For example, AGORA also offers guided tours of the redevelopment area, where young people of different ages can visualise the future urban site. Immersive workshops with various experts (architects, town planners) are also organised.

The 12–18-year-olds are also invited to take an active part in the online conversation on the Metzeschmelz civic participation platform. “In my opinion, what works with young people is a well-balanced combination of virtual consultations and concrete experiences,” explained Yves Biwer. “Our best way of communicating with young people is first and foremost on the virtual networks where they are active. From this starting point, we try to bring them together in person to have a better quality of discussion.”

A “younger”, freer urban space

And what do young people dream of for the future district? More public spaces! “I saw a clear consensus emerge from all our consultations: urban space should not be too privatised. There’s a need to occupy the city and bring it alive in open-air squares,” summed up Zahira Malyani.

The project’s lead urban planner picked out some key quotes from the children and teenagers consulted at the “Youth Forum” on 5 July 2024, as well as the words of young people who contributed online to the participation platform.

1 “I think it’s important for the neighbourhood to have public squares that we, the young people, can make our own, where there will be a certain amount of freedom, a chance to shape things to our liking.”

2. “For me, natural spaces in the city are important. A neighbourhood that’s a great place to live is full of parks where you can go and enjoy the greenery.”

3. “In my opinion, there are often too few public spaces for spontaneous gatherings, apart from organised cultural activities. I’d like places to spend time in the city without there necessarily being any framework: just open spaces where people can get together and make noise without disturbing nearby neighbours.”

We want sport in the city

In 2024, young people may be more sporty than ever! The young people consulted by AGORA all certainly seem very interested in the future sports facilities in the district. Will there be a sports centre accessible to all? Will there be a swimming pool? A basketball court? What other sports facilities are planned? These are just some of the questions put to the designers of the Metzeschmelz Quarter by various groups of young people, reflecting their appetite for physical activity.

“This interest in sport on the part of young people has been a wonderful discovery, and it has encouraged us to envisage the development of a public square entirely dedicated to young people, with sports pitches and natural areas,” said Yves Biwer.

What else? In addition to considerations directly related to their current interests, the young people questioned during the various consultations also showed a keen interest in the various forms of housing to be built on the site. Additionally, they are keen to see the development of a vibrant commercial life in the area. AGORA found that their perspective is both anchored in the here and now and focused on the needs of their future adult lives.

A vision that combines today and tomorrow. Exactly in line with AGORA’s mission: to develop the urban neighbourhoods of the future today.

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