YOUTH SPACES: FROM CHILL SPOTS TO CIVIC SPACES

What do young people need in the places where they live, study, work, and spend their free time — and how can we involve them in shaping the city? To explore this question, public designer and urban project manager Katya Romanova spoke with two local youth institutions in Berlin-Pankow: Kinder- und Jugendbüro Pankow and Gangway e.V. Together, they share insights, experiences, and strategies for making urban planning more inclusive and responsive to the needs of young people. This interview is featured in the Urban Storytellers Journal, published within Urban Storytelling School by the Center for Social Vision (Sofia) and CSPACE* (Berlin).

Outreach youth workers Marc & Roland in front of the Gangway e.V. Rooms in Berlin-Buch. Picture: Katya Romanova

Roland: I work for Gangway e.V., providing outreach youth work. I’m part of the youth streetwork team in Berlin-Pankow, responsible for the northern districts: Buch, Karow, and Französisch Buchholz. We go out to public spaces and engage young people aged 14 to 27 to support them in all aspects of life—whether school problems, domestic violence, or conflicts with the police.

We don’t just refer them to services; we accompany them directly to the places that can help. Voluntary participation is key: we don’t act without their consent. Our approach is critically accepting: we also work with young people who consume substances or hold questionable worldviews. That’s not an exclusion criterion. We accept these attitudes at first and work with them once trust is established.

Britta: At the Kinder- und Jugendbüro, we work to give young people in Pankow more influence—whether in political decisions or in implementing their own ideas. We are a cooperation project between Kinderring Berlin e.V. and the Pankow Child and Youth Participation Department in the Youth Welfare Office (Fachbereich Kinder- und Jugendbeteiligung des Jugendamtes Pankow) since April 2024.

We create spaces for participation and organise projects. For example in the project Youth Jury where young people can apply for funding for their projects and receive up to 1,000 Euros for their own initiatives. We also work with adults, advising and sensitizing politics, administration, and professionals on youth participation, children’s rights, and civic education. Especially in urban planning, we collaborate closely with the authorities to ensure youth spaces and new neighborhoods meet the needs of young people.

What exactly are Youth Spaces or Jugendorte?

Roland: When we talk about Youth Spaces, we mean publicly accessible spaces. Young people need places to chill without structured activities or educational programs. Spaces where they can spend time after school, doing typical youth activities, without being constantly watched.

Our idea was to support discussions with administration, politics, and the district with concrete data. We conducted a survey in 2022-2023 where young people could indicate how their ideal Youth Space should look. 300 respondents in Pankow, and later 1,000 citywide in Berlin. The top requirements: seating, preferably weatherproof, lighting, trash cans, public transport access, nearby shopping, and Wi-Fi.

Anything unexpected?

Roland: Not really. We’ve worked in the district for over 30 years; the issues remain the same. What’s new is having data to back it up. Saying 1,000 young people want benches carries more weight.

Now, through our network, we promote Youth Spaces across the city and bring the topic to politics and administration. In Pankow, it worked: the district decided to strengthen and expand youth spaces. Without the survey and our lobbying, it probably wouldn’t have gained traction.

These must be dedicated spaces, and we are pushing for this on all levels. We find politics receptive, but administration less so, because there’s no bureaucratic concept for youth spaces. There are playgrounds, public spaces, activity areas—but no official category for “youth-only.” That’s why it’s hard to implement; no one feels responsible.

The skatepark in Berlin Buch was designed with a participatory process with the young people who live in the area. Picture: Katya Romanova

Where do young people hang out in Berlin or Pankow?

Roland: We have to be careful—it’s not about all young people. Youth Spaces aren’t a counter-model to youth centers, which are excellent and widely used. Youth Spaces target those who don’t attend centers, or who go outside after hours. We surveyed mainly young people who cannot comply with youth center structures—rules, alcohol bans, protective measures. Some want to consume, talk about topics from rap lyrics, or have discussions that protected spaces might restrict. They turn to public spaces.

In Buch-Pankow, many public spaces meet youth space criteria: sheltered, with seating, visibility in all directions. The closer to the city center, the harder it is. In Prenzlauer Berg, for example, youth gather at Stargarderplatz but are often approached by authorities and given formal warnings, which shows how contested public space is.

And shopping malls?

Roland: In other districts, yes—for example, Gesundbrunnen Center or an abandoned building Steglitzer Kreisel, where empty spaces were opened for youth, with skating, table tennis, and similar activities (Project “ZiK – Zeit ist knapp”). 

The challenge with shopping malls is that young people often lack the money to consume, creating conflict with store owners. Youth still hang out, use Wi-Fi, occupy seating, may be loud or annoy security. This is tolerated only as long as they spend money there.

We want to show: young people should participate in public life without money. If they drink and play music in a park, it’s seen as a disturbance. Adults at a jazz festival drinking wine? That’s culture. The difference is financial. Understanding this is key to seeing why youth go to public spaces.

Britta: I’d add that youth have a poor image, especially among adults and unfortunately sometimes among decision-makers. Often, we forget that we were teenagers ourselves. Teens face constant scrutiny and are judged before they even act. Public spaces are exhausting under that gaze. Because Youth Spaces are not legally protected, implementation is especially difficult. Playgrounds are simpler—they are regulated, defined, and the administration has laws to followrules. It’s a major goal that youth spaces also gain legal recognition. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child extends to age 18, emphasizing that young people need spaces to play, relax, and develop according to their needs.

Many playgrounds in residential complexes don’t meet teenagers’ needs—they prefer spaces where they aren’t constantly observed. Photo: Katya Romanova

Often, people say young people don’t want to engage—they just want to chill. Do you see that? And how can they be encouraged to participate in urban planning?

Roland: Yes, they want to chill—after a full day of school under strict rules, they need a break. Dismissing it as “just chilling” overlooks that it’s social interaction, exchange, and a way to engage with peers. They do sports or music too, but not every day. Society tends to view youth skeptically.

When young people are out in public today, it’s quickly assumed they’re using substances, dealing, or being criminal. With the topic of Youth Spaces, the fear immediately comes up: “If we create special places for young people, won’t they just become criminal hotspots?” But all these things happen anyway, even without dedicated Youth Spaces, and that’s often ignored.

Britta: Engagement in urban planning works the same way as for adults: you have to make it attractive and show the benefits. Quick, visible results are important—not just projects that will take five years to implement. Sometimes there is a  mistrust which is closely tied to negative stereotypes about youth—if they are constantly told they just sit around and chill, it’s discouraging. That’s why it’s so important to build trust and show that they are taken seriously—not just for young people, but for everyone.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Roland: People often ask what’s so bad if young people don’t hang out in public spaces. My biggest concern is that they’ll retreat even more into the digital world. Public space is central to their socialization—this is where informal exchange happens, where they learn about democracy, see posters, election campaigns, and access advisory services.

Public spaces are not just about us as a society maintaining some oversight or knowing where they are—they allow young people to participate meaningfully in social and democratic life, to experience diversity, and to learn how to coexist within structures that aren’t extremist.

Britta: To add, I think the bigger question is really who is part of our society—and how we can adapt the city to include them. This means making it inclusive and accessible, for all ages and needs, rather than expecting people to adjust to our city or public spaces.

Gangway e.V. (Berlin) is a street social work organization supporting young people and adults throughout Berlin. Founded in 1990, Gangway works directly where society often looks away — in public spaces, on the streets, and in communities where people face exclusion, addiction, homelessness, or conflict. Over 100 social workers are active across 11 of Berlin’s 12 districts, helping individuals regain control over their lives, access housing, education, and employment, and develop perspectives for the future. www.gangway.de 

Kinder- und Jugendbüro Pankow (Berlin) empowers children and young people in Berlin-Pankow to have a say in shaping their surroundings. The office supports participation in decisions on public spaces, such as playgrounds, youth clubs and youth work, and neighborhood development through workshops, consultations, and participatory projects. As a cooperation project between the association Kinderring Berlin e.V. and the Department for Youth Participation and Political Education of the Pankow Youth Office (Fachstelle Kinder- und Jugendbeteiligung und politische Bildung des Jugendamtes Pankow), it strengthens self-organization, civic engagement, and dialogue between young people, district administration, and politics. www.instagram.com/mitbestimmen_in_pankow