Public open spaces for youth : Paceville

Abstract

Youth by their nature are attracted to open spaces since they do not own places of their own. Open spaces are one of the few places where youth can act freely in an authentic and independent manner. They are also important because open spaces encourage learning, social competence, independence and interdependence. Youth are often overlooked in the design and planning of open spaces and thus are often victims of social exclusion by other members of society. This research revolved on Maltese youth aged between 15 and 24 who frequented Paceville, and assessed from a descriptive and critical perspective open spaces and what were the distinctive marked viewpoints regarding friendly or unfriendly spaces. The study revealed the set of qualities marking the ideal types of open spaces as perceived by youth, and why certain open spaces were preferred over others. Attention was also placed on ways to design better open spaces in order to fulfil the expectations and needs of youth themselves. The most significant findings include that the presence of people was a prime factor in making an open space friendly. Ensuring a safe and clean space ranked as the second and third preference. It was also concluded that youth primarily values those spaces that facilitated control and social interaction, while the actual design ranked second in their preference list. Thus their preference lay on the functionality of open space rather than its physical layout. Important conclusions were also drawn as regards to Paceville were this area was often perceived by youth as being too hectic, crowded, dirty and boring.