In the “Youth Participation in Cities: Building Sustainable Smart Cities” post, partners focus on Youth Participation for Developing Sustainable Smart Cities. The developing world is urbanising rapidly and the task of ensuring that cities continue to be liveable, equitable and sustainable has never been more complex. Smart City 3.0 potentially offers a solution. A type of city model that utilises technology to improve urban life while simultaneously ensuring sustainable and environmentally friendly development. With serious risks from climate change and environmental degradation to future generations, involving young people in designing these smart cities is more important than ever.
This blog post created for “Youth Participation for Developing Sustainable Green Cities (2022-1-DE04-KA220-YOU-000085135)” EU-Founded project. Where the coordinator is L4Y, and the partners are, CIP, Walktogether, Kean, KKKE, TOG. You can read more blog posts about the project in these categories (r1, r2, and r3).
It explains why this work should be initiated and led by youth through NGOs
Learning Objectives
What is the meaning Smart City 3.0 and why it matters today?
Differentiate the dangerous hues in which earth take refuge, let youth-led NGOs tackle these colors and its shades.
Benefits of youth involvement in Developing Sustainable Smart cities
Set up the NGO relating to smart cities and environment protection
What is Smart City 3.0?
Smart City 3.0 is an innovative way to city planning, piling on robust technologies over citizen-centric interventions. Leading to development of intelligent and sustainable cities! Smart Cities 3.0 goes beyond and over technology-driven solutions. Characterising earlier versions, to highlight social inclusion, environmental sustainability and community empowerment.
Through green infrastructure, energy efficiency and smart transportation systems amongst others, it is about reducing the environmental footprint within urban spaces. The distinguishing feature of Cities following Smart City Version 3.0 are that they are developed according to ethical principles of sustainability and resilience. Two things we need urgently in the face of climate change and resource scarcity.
Why We Need Youth Participation in Cities Now
The Environmental Crisis is one of the biggest existential challenges facing humankind now — climate change, air and water pollution, deforestation and biodiversity loss. The global urbanisation of this century also poses a challenge if not managed well. Thus, the renewed emphasis on Smart City 3.0 opens up a new way of addressing these challenges. By designing cities that support their populations and the planet alike.
Environment first is the most important for cities to grow and Smart City 3.0 is everything with this approach. Cities account for about 75% of global energy consumption and are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. However, a smart city be the perfect solution for climate change where it can cut energy consumption, reduce emissions and boost green spaces.
The Perils Our Earth Deals With
It could be a planet-altering crossroads. The writing is on the wall — and in nature itself — with global temperatures increasing, natural disasters intensifying, and unprecedented weather events striking again and again, that climate breakdown is not a distant threat anymore. Growing urban populations are adding pressure to natural resources, infrastructure and ecosystems with corresponding challenges on the delicate balance of human ecology. These provide existential threats, from the loss of ecosystems and social inequality to enlarging poverty.
The other grave danger is pollution. Many cities recorded severely high levels of pollution — some well above the acceptable threshold and actually dangerous for human health, causing a range of respiratory diseases leading to premature death. Billions of lives are at stake due to concerns over water scarcity and contamination. Smart City 3.0 implements such smart governance and Emerging Technologies, which are an answer to these threats in cities, so that they can be sustainable.
The Importance of Youth Participation in Cities
The cities of tomorrow are built by the younger generation. Students bring their energy, innovative ideas and fresh perspectives, which makes them ideal to innovate and advocate for sustainability correctly. Since the young generations are these most impacted due to environment and social challenges, youth led NGOs having a focus on smart cities can cater to problems at their community level.
They also contribute to the protection of the environment by participating in smart city initiatives, and they acquire essential leadership and problem solving skills. This involvement ensures smart cities are digitally sophisticated and socially inclusive, serving the needs of all community members especially the marginalized.
Why Youth Participation in Cities Matters?
The development of an NGO concerned in smart cities has been a a good idea for many young people. Most importantly, it gives them the power to determine their destinies through place making in cities they inhabit thus giving a sense of leadership and responsibility all while solving real-world problems.
The smart city NGOs also offer young participants important capacity building skills, such as project management, networking practices and collaborative strategies. Those skills are transferable to a number of fields, which boosts their employability after graduation. Lastly, Smart City projects can heighten youth engagement in their communities and provide them with opportunities to take action where they are most needed.
Case Study
UN-Habitat’s “People-Centered Smart Cities” program has been making an exciting example in promoting youth participation in smart cities. Use this programme to support young people in leading initiatives for sustainable urbanism. It demonstrates how young people can innovate in urban problems, whether through technology or social inclusion and environmental conservation.
Paint the picture of young people planting seeds in a large open field, much like gardeners. Young minds are the reputation of a gardener, who makes seeds grows and cares for the plants, plant species of their fruits which not only grow but make an inner growth within. Through their work and with time and passion, they create ingenious, durable cities that endure the march of time and environmental pressures.
Resources for Learning
To further explore the topic of Smart City 3.0 and youth participation in environmental protection, here are some recommended resources:
UN-Habitat – People-Centered Smart Cities
Provides insights into youth involvement in smart city development link.
City Monitor – How Young People Are Creating Sustainable Cities
An article showcasing real-life examples of youth initiatives in urban development link.
Smart Cities Dive
Offers a broad overview of smart city technologies and sustainability trends. Link
Youth Participation in Cities: Conclusion
In conclusion, partners of GreenCities mention the importance of this youth-led NGOs. Moreover, it seems the project achieve this goal of establishment of these youth-led NGOs in partner cities.
And so, for the foreseeable future, Smart City 3.0 is the shape of smart urban development to come. In the meantime, by forming smart city nonprofits, young people can lead us into solving some of the most important environmental problems of our time. Their involvement is not only good for the world but good for their growth too.
So if you are a young person and care about the environment, want to make progress for city innovation, now is the time. Additionally, start or join an NGO specialised in City Development. Your contributions will help to create a greener, fairer and more resilient world for the next generation.
Meanwhile, please follow the project’s social media channels.
References
UN-Habitat. (n.d.). People-centered smart cities. UN-Habitat. Retrieved from https://unhabitat.org/programme/legacy/people-centered-smart-cities
City Monitor. (n.d.). Young people create sustainable and inclusive cities. City Monitor. Retrieved from https://citymonitor.ai/analysis/young-people-create-sustainable-inclusive-cities
