From Participation to Transformation Co-Creating Inclusive Urban Futures with Youth

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Cover image: Skateboard Park under the bridge located beside the Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei, Taiwan. Picture by Poh Soo Donald Soh
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Published: Oct 11, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.32891/jps.v10i1.1886
Keywords:
S²Cities youth empowerment youth engagement urban safety inclusive cities

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Andrea Betancourt
Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation (GIB)
Kelly Donovan
Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation (GIB)
Lorena Zemp
Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation (GIB)

Abstract

This editorial introduces the Safe and Sound Cities (S²Cities) programme, a global initiative that engages young people as active agents in shaping safer, more inclusive urban environments. Through its implementation in the Global South, the programme combines participatory research, youth-led innovation, and placemaking to address urban safety, wellbeing, and social inclusion. Highlighting lessons derived from programme implementation and research initiatives in Bandung, Envigado, and Cuenca, the editorial discusses how youth perspectives reveal the subjective, relational, and socio-spatial dimensions of safety, challenging traditional enforcement-based approaches. Through trust-building, collaborative governance, creative communication and adaptive Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) frameworks, S²Cities demonstrates that youth engagement can transform public spaces, foster participation, and advance systemic change toward equitable and resilient cities.

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How to Cite
Betancourt, A., Donovan, K. and Zemp, L. (2025) “From Participation to Transformation: Co-Creating Inclusive Urban Futures with Youth”, The Journal of Public Space, 10(1), pp. 5–14. doi: 10.32891/jps.v10i1.1886.
Issue
Vol. 10 No. 1 (2025): Safe and Sound Cities
Section
Editorial
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Author Biographies

Andrea Betancourt, Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation (GIB)

Andrea Betancourt is a Senior Programme Officer at Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation, currently serving as Programme Manager for the Safe and Sound Cities (S²Cities) Programme in the Southamerican region as well as overseeing the programme's MEL , research and placemaking components of the programme at the global level. She has over 15 years of international experience advancing sustainability, urban development, and inclusive governance across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Andrea has led projects supporting municipal policy, socioeconomic development, and sustainability planning, with expertise spanning urban safety, solid waste management, housing, informal labour, and youth engagement.
She has collaborated with multilateral organizations such as the International Labour Organization, World Trade Organization, World Bank, and WWF International, as well as Swiss-based philanthropic institutions. At GIB, Andrea also contributes to the FAST-Infra Sustainable Infrastructure Label Secretariat, overseeing compliance with ISEAL Codes of Good Practice.
Andrea holds a Master in City Planning from MIT and a MAS in Management, Technology and Economics from ETH Zürich.

Kelly Donovan, Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation (GIB)

Kelly Donovan is a Senior Programme Manager for the Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation (GIB) and the Global Programme Manager of the Safe and Sound Cities Programme (S²Cities).
Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, a Bachelor’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies, and a Master’s degree in Urban Studies, Kelly brings international work experience advancing inclusive and co-creative urban planning processes with a focus on youth and other vulnerable populations. Previously, Kelly managed university partnerships across North America, Africa, and the Middle East and worked in the Urban Programmes unit of the International Committee of the Red Cross mapping urban infrastructure systems.

Lorena Zemp, Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation (GIB)

Lorena Zemp is the Chief Operating Officer at the Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation (GIB), where she leads the coordination of all operational processes at GIB and leads one of its key strategic pillars as Director of Infrastructure and the Next Generation. Lorena is the global director of the Safe and Sound Cities (S²Cities) programme, driving efforts to create safer, more inclusive urban environments for youth.
Lorena is an expert facilitator, programme and grant manager and has represented GIB at both local and international forums.
With a strong background in standardization and social regulation, Lorena brings specialized expertise in labour standards. Prior to joining GIB, she worked with the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Lorena also has a solid foundation in business and finance, having held roles in corporate banking and impact investment in Canada, Mexico, and Switzerland. She is fluent in French, English, German and Spanish, enabling her to work effectively across diverse cultural and linguistic contexts.

References

Safe and Sound Cities (S²Cities) programme - https://www.s2cities.org/