Safe and Sound Cities

✨Young people need to be actively included when considering urban safety and wellbeing metrics, in order to encourage public space usage and engagement by the youth population, and to strengthen their relationship with city spaces.

On today’s feature from the special issue of the The Journal of Public Space (), we are spotlighting: “Between Perception and Reality: Socio-spatial Factors Affecting Youth Wellbeing in Public Space in Cuenca and Ambato.”

In this case study, Viviana A. Cordero-Vinueza (University of Groningen), Juan Martin Pesantez, Amelia Tapia, Pedro Coello, and Fabián Bermeo from our local partner , analyse youth wellbeing in Cuenca and Ambato through perception surveys and a comparison with official dashboard data on urban wellbeing.

The findings reveal that the differences between official safety metrics and young people’s perception of public spaces weaken their connection to the city and reduce public space usage, ultimately affecting their wellbeing. The study also presents the experience of these cities using placemaking as a tool to bridge this gap and improve youth engagement with urban spaces.

💡 This paper offers valuable insights for urban planners, designers, and policymakers that may be interested in addressing the role of socio-spatial factors in youth wellbeing in cities, with properties that can be replicated and scaled around the globe.

📖 Read the paper: https://www.journalpublicspace.org/index.php/jps/article/view/1866 [Link in Bio]

Stay tuned as we continue to feature each contribution from this special issue—capturing insights from two years of collective research, learning, and youth-led action across our global programme.

✨Developing a programme like S²Cities requires deep systems-understanding, built on a variety of insights from academia and field practice to navigate through urban youth safety and wellbeing.

On today’s feature from the S²Cities special issue of the The Journal of Public Space, we are spotlighting: “Developing a Global Programme for Safer Cities, from Design to Implementation.”

In this article, Jens Aerts from OSLUM (Office for Sustainable Land & Urban Management), the Strategic Placemaking Advisor for S²Cities, maps out the conceptualisation stages of the Safe and Sound Cities programme, highlighting its evolution and contribution to advancing urban youth safety.

This study argues that safety in cities must be redefined through the lived experiences of young people, advocating for a shift from reactive, enforcement-led approaches to proactive, participatory strategies rooted in placemaking and relational wellbeing. In this context, the article also highlights the role of the S²Cities programme as a model for youth-driven systemic change, aiming to scale and adapt solutions across diverse urban contexts.

💡This paper offers valuable insights for urban planners, designers, and policymakers that may be interested in the S²Cities programme and the intricacies of bringing about youth-led change, with properties that can be replicated and scaled around the globe.

📖 Read the paper: https://www.journalpublicspace.org/index.php/jps/article/view/1876 [Link in Bio]

Stay tuned as we continue to feature each contribution from this special issue—capturing insights from two years of collective research, learning, and youth-led action across our global programme.

Behind every green space, every clean beach, every thriving neighbourhood, there is a young person who decided to act. 🌏

As the climate crisis grows, so does the power of local action. From transforming vacant lots into community gardens in Envigado, to creating green hubs for communities and their pets in Baguio, to restoring coastal ecosystems in Cartagena, young people in the S²Cities Programme are showing the world what youth-led action truly looks like. They identified the problems in their own communities and built solutions, for their neighbours, for nature, and for the generations that come after them.

This , we celebrate every young person who chose to act. 🌱

Are you a young person leading an initiative that's improving the environment in your city? We want to hear from you, tell us below!👇

🎉 S²Cities will be at the African Youth SDGs Summit in Accra, Ghana this year!

🌍 The African Youth SDGs Summit is Africa’s largest youth forum focused on advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. It brings together young leaders, development experts, governments, UN representatives, non-profits, and private sector actors to lead change and development in the continent.

💡 With S²Cities’ recent expansion to Africa through the addition of two new cities — Cape Coast and Sekondi-Takoradi, the Summit offers an important opportunity to strengthen regional partnerships and engage in conversations on youth participation in urban decision-making and advocacy.

🤝 The programme also looks forward to connecting with members of its Global Learning Network, while building new collaborations and exchanging ideas with change-makers working towards safer, more inclusive, and resilient cities across Africa and beyond.

Stay tuned for updates and highlights from the Summit! 💜🌱



African Youth SDGs Summit

✨ Our spotlight series continues, as we showcase contributions from the special issue of The Journal of Public Space ()—capturing insights from two years of collective research, learning, and youth-led action across our global programme.

Spotlighted this time: “Urban and Youth Transformations in Envigado: Connection with Oneself, Others, and the Environment.”

In this article, María D. Moreno Álvarez from our local partner Fundación Mi Sangre presents a qualitative methodology to explore the S²Cities programme’s development and impact in Envigado, Colombia.

The methodology in this study is structured across three interconnected levels: individual, relational, and structural. The results highlight how empowering young people as active agents of change enables them to influence not only their immediate environment, but also broader governance structures while promoting more inclusive and participatory urban spaces.

💡This paper offers valuable insights for urban planners, designers, and policymakers that may be interested in the effects and advantages of local youth-led movements, and participation in urban change and governance, with properties that can be replicated and scaled around the globe.

📖 Read the paper: https://www.journalpublicspace.org/index.php/jps/article/view/1856 [Link in Bio]

Stay tuned as we continue to feature each contribution from this special issue.

✨We’re here with another feature in our spotlight series showcasing contributions from the special issue of The Journal of Public Space ()—capturing insights from two years of collective research, learning, and youth-led action across our global programme.

Spotlighted this time: “From Local Voices to Global Impact: Crafting MEL for Youth-Led Placemaking in Cross-Country Programmes.”

In this article, Juan Carlos Muñoz Mora, Estefany Peña Rojas, and Andrés Felipe Sanchez Saldarriaga from our global MEL partner discuss an adaptive MEL framework, drawing from the S2Cities programme.

The study highlights the necessity of real-time adaptation to local youth experiences, the need to balance standardized evaluation with localized indicators, and the critical role of young people as co-creators in MEL processes, underscoring the importance of a flexible yet rigorous framework that captures urban dynamics’ evolving nature.

💡This paper offers valuable insights for urban planners, designers, and policymakers that may be interested in the development of MEL frameworks and processes with flexibility and provisions for youth participation, with properties that can be replicated and scaled around the globe.

📖 Read the paper: https://www.journalpublicspace.org/index.php/jps/article/view/1854 [Link in Bio]

Stay tuned as we continue to feature each contribution from this special issue.

🚨 Opportunity Alert: Join S²Cities as a Global Convening Support Partner 🌍✨

🗓 Deadline: 31 May 2026

S²Cities is inviting applications from organisations to help organise and manage the Global Convening in 2027 as a Global Convening Support Partner!

The selected partner will:

🔹Support Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation (GIB) in developing a suitable format / approach for the 2027 Global Convening which meets the intended objectives (including in-person convening components as well as the scope of VR and digital formats).

🔹Lead all event management logistics including procurement of necessary venues and materials, managing attendees, etc.

🔹Help document learnings and highlights on behalf of GIB and S²Cities in alignment with the programme’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) framework.

🔹Work with the S²Cities Global Youth Advocacy Partner, to develop strategies to activate and expand the S²Cities Global Learning Network (GLN).

👉 Grant amount available: 112,000 CHF

Eligibility: All organisations that are able to meet the above criteria and/or have experience organising events across multiple countries/cities and platforms are welcome to apply.

📥 For more details and to download the RFP, visit: https://bit.ly/42PXphT