What Happened?
The Child Friendly Cardiff team partnered with Cardiff University’s School of Geography and Planning, alongside the Council’s Curriculum Team, to press ahead with the ‘Planning Pioneers’ project—a community mapping initiative combining digital tools and in-person workshops. The latest milestone of the project engaged over 300 pupils from Llanishen High School and its feeder primary schools, who used the ‘Maptionnaire’ platform to map the positives and negatives of their local area, including workshops to explore aspirational plans for the area. This was followed by a broader effort with Cardiff Youth Service, engaging approximately 300 young people citywide to build detailed community profiles using the same platform.
Why?
The ‘Planning Pioneers’ project was initiated to gather better intelligence about how children and young people (C&YP) interact with and perceive their local communities and the built environment. By involving young people directly in mapping exercises and workshops, the project aimed to ensure that their perspectives and needs are accurately represented in local development plans. This data is crucial for informing more tailored interventions and activities across different parts of Cardiff, allowing for a more child-friendly approach to urban planning and community development.
So What?
The insights gathered from the Llanishen area will culminate in a report and place plan developed in collaboration with the School of Geography and Planning. This plan will be a valuable resource for local authority planning teams and developers, providing a clearer understanding of the local community from the perspective of young residents. Meanwhile, Cardiff Youth Service has already begun using the Maptionnaire data to empower their new Youth Development Officers to tailor activities and outreach initiatives according to the specific needs of different localities. This project not only enhances the inclusion of young people’s voices in urban planning but also directly impacts the design and delivery of youth services across the city, ultimately shaping Cardiff into a more responsive and inclusive environment for its younger residents.