The Youth and their Perspective
on Spatial Development
Internet has evolved from being a mere
search engine; it has become a “sanctuary” for the youth of today. Facebook and
Twitter are only some of the social networking sites that have their young
minds preoccupied: they post status updates about the new kid on the block, they
blog when they want to rant about bad grades or heartaches, they send “tweets”
or short messages to their idols to get an “RT” (re-tweet), and post pictures
of things they own on Instagram. The addicting routine of typing and clicking
has the average teenager voluntarily confine himself/herself in the comfort of
his/her room. But is this enough to completely rob the youth of the vision to
see beyond their laptop computers? Do they even have the time – and the heart –
to make a difference in the city they live in?
A series of participatory workshops
conducted by Sintana Vergara and Julianne Baker Gallegos of World Bank proved
that not all members of the youth sector have fallen prey to the allures of the
cyber world. In an effort to find out
what attributes the youth want to see in his/her respective city come 2025,
Vergara and Gallegos interviewed low-income to professional youth of age 15 to
30, residing in Tokyo, Manila, Bangkok, and Washington DC. In the course of the
workshops, the interviewees were made to describe their city using just one
word, answer questions about how they visualize their city in pairs, and asked
to submit photos that depict the city they live in.
My faith in today’s younger generation
was restored upon seeing the results of the study. Majority of the participants
actually desire to affect change in their communities – some even came up with
individual actions on how to implement these changes. These actions all depend
on the unique experiences the interviewees have as members of society. The
results also showed that the youth want their cities to eventually practice
sustainable consumption, grant its citizens mobility, be habitable, be secure, be
free of pollution, be run by competent government officials, be resilient,
provide basic necessities and opportunities to the citizens, and to exhibit
high levels of human capital. Each attribute previously listed were heavily
influenced by what the youth feels is missing from his/her beloved city. Those
from Manila and Washington DC, for example, ranked poverty and access to basic
commodities and opportunities as the most important attributes of the said
cities.
The advent of technology brought with
it convenience, and a string of possibilities that continues to bridge gaps and
make differences across the globe. Power has definitely shifted to our
fingertips, giving us the chance to do great things with it. Looking at the big
picture, it is the youth who has the bigger responsibility, as every choice
he/she makes may lead to a reshaping of the physical and systemic aspects of
the nation. In a world that has fast been engulfed by an all-encompassing
“net”, knowing that its future leaders still harbor the dream of making the
world a better place to live in is, in itself, a reassuring nod to those of us
who have been doing our duty to maintain stability in our own communities.
Ibrahim Jaffar is a professional Photographer. Ibrahim jaffar also loves to talk about technology. Ibrahim jaffar is technology enthusiastic and keen learner.
