Chelyabinsk youth proposed new ideas for improving the cities of the region

In Chelyabinsk, at the site of the Headquarters of Public Support of the Chelyabinsk Region, on Wednesday, April 24, a strategic session “Chelyabinsk of the future: the view of youth on issues of improvement” was held. During the session, young Chelyabinsk residents were able to express their ideas for improving the modern urban space.

As the Ural-Press-Inform agency was informed by the press service of the Headquarters of Public Support of the Chelyabinsk Region, before the start of the event, the Head of the Regional Headquarters of the Chelyabinsk regional branch of the Young Guard, Maxim Goloshchapov, addressed the session participants with a greeting. He noted that the point of view and different view of young people can make fundamental changes in the organization of improvement, public areas in the region and even completely reconsider the approach to this issue.

“Particularly significant is the participation of young people in the life of the city. The culture of participation in the development of urban space and the conditions for its formation play a major role in the well-being of young citizens, and also have a positive impact on the development of the cities themselves“- noted Maxim Goloshchapov.

The coordinator of the start session was the Chief of Staff of the Chelyabinsk regional branch of the Young Guard, Anastasia Shilova.

“Today we will discuss the most important and controversial issues of improvement, which will help us get a unified and holistic picture of the views of the younger generation on the transformation of cities in the Chelyabinsk region“, noted Anastasia Shilova.

What do Chelyabinsk youth think about their participation in the process of designing public spaces? Opinions were divided. Some believe that the participation of young people will help bring creativity and interactivity to the creation of new objects. Others note that a lack of life and professional experience can become an obstacle in decision making.

The head of the Sovetsky district of Chelyabinsk, the regional coordinator of the United Russia party project “Urban environment” Vladimir Makarov helped the participants sort out their “thoughts” and understand everything.

“You don’t have to take on big projects right away. Introduce new ideas that older generations may overlook. Voice your opinion to those who accumulate these ideas and bring them to life“, – said Vladimir Makarov.

Participants suggested tools and technologies that can be used to involve the younger generation in the process of designing public spaces. Social networks, which are especially popular among young people, have become the unanimous leader in productive communication. Among all the proposals, the main tool was highlighted: a survey on social networks. According to the participants of the kick-off session, this method will help to easily and quickly receive feedback from the population without spending additional resources.

We also talked about motivation. The guys suggested recording participation in significant projects in your resume. This is especially true for those who are just gaining professional experience, for example, for students.

The discussion of courtyard areas was also not left aside. The participants are convinced that with a single standard it will become more convenient to control their safety and, as an example, they singled out children’s playgrounds that require special quality control. Also, one of the advantages was the coverage of the interests of all residents of the yard, and the disadvantages were the monotony, which over time can get boring for everyone.

What do young people think about graffiti? The participants’ opinions on the creation of art objects using “street art” (including graffiti) were divided equally between those who are “for” and those who are “against”. On the one hand, creative graffiti (or more often wall murals) reflect the identity (from the English Identity, identity) of the region, can increase the tourist attractiveness of each of the cities of the Chelyabinsk region, and also introduce residents to the history of their native land. On the other hand, control over “street art” should be strengthened, since the images are not always in suitable places or are of aesthetic value.

The strategic session “Chelyabinsk of the Future: Youth’s View of Landscaping Issues” opened a series of events that will raise the topic of improving public space among young people.