Urban imaginaries of refugee youth: Insights from place-making with Ukrainian teenagers in Warsaw
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School of Arts, Design and Architecture |
Master's thesis
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Date
2024-12-31
Department
Major/Subject
Collaborative and Industrial Design
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Degree programme
Master's Programme in Design
Language
en
Pages
83 + 30
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Abstract
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, one of Warsaw's central urban parks has become a gathering place for Ukrainian teenagers. The city plans to renovate part of this park through an architectural competition. Despite being one of the primary users of the space, Ukrainian teenagers have little influence on its future design. Warsaw faces challenges in engaging youth in urban planning and lacks a comprehensive integration strategy for refugees. Youth participation in urban planning is recognized as a pathway to achieving sustainable futures in European cities and a means of fostering resilience and belonging among refugee youth in host communities. The urban imaginaries of Ukrainian teenagers could provide innovative insights for Warsaw. However, refugee youth participation in urban planning remains an understudied field. This study investigates the urban imaginaries of Ukrainian teenagers in Warsaw and explores methods of working with them in the planning process of an urban park. Through participatory action research suspended between the City Office and Ukrainian teenagers, a place-making exploration of Świętokrzyski Park was conducted. The study included 12 interviews with city officials, experts on public space and participation, as well as 35 interviews with refugee youth frequenting the park and Spoko Café, a safe space that became a key partner. Mapping techniques were employed to produce situated knowledge. Thematic analysis of the collected material revealed three tensions regarding Warsaw public spaces. Ukrainian teenagers in Warsaw desire a clean, well-maintained park; however, achieving this could unintentionally exclude them. Their desire to socialize in public spaces and the conflicts this generates highlight broader challenges related to youth rights to public space. While Ukrainian teenagers perceive Warsaw as boring, Polish experts describe it using chaotic imaginaries. Furthermore, analysis revealed three tensions regarding their participation in urban planning. Although teenagers are not professional designers, involving them offers valuable insights and learning opportunities. Ukrainian teenagers should primarily be seen as adolescents who are non-native Polish speakers, rather than solely as refugees. Participation, while complex and often misunderstood, can become a self-reinforcing process when managed inclusively and effectively. For Warsaw to realize its policy of developing public dialogue, city officials must revise their perception of teenagers and public space for youth and start preparing for organizing participation in a multi-cultural city that Warsaw is becoming.Description
Supervisor
Caic, MartinaThesis advisor
Frąckowiak, MaciejKeywords
participation, teenagers, refugees, urban planning, urban imaginaries, place-making