Why young people are regeneration’s missing voice: Megan Lipp
When we talk about regeneration, the focus naturally falls on existing residents. They live there, work there, and use its services every day, so their views are important if we’re to create places with longevity.
But what about the people who will live, work and build their futures there in years to come?
Regeneration is a long game. Major projects such as Leeds South Bank and the Elland Road masterplan are expected to take up to 20 years to complete. By the time they are finished, many of the people who will call these places home are sitting in classrooms today.
Despite this, young people are rarely considered a core stakeholder group, even though today’s decisions around transport, housing, public spaces and employment opportunities will directly shape their futures. If regeneration is truly about creating places that thrive for the long term, then young people deserve a greater role in shaping the conversation.
At Ahead Partnership, we’ve seen first-hand the value of bringing young people into discussions around regeneration and placemaking. Through our work with organisations including Federated Hermes at Wellington Place, Landsec at White Rose and Trinity Leeds shopping centres, and Extra MSA at Leeds Skelton Lake Services, we’ve helped create opportunities for young people to connect with employers, understand future career pathways and engage with some of the region’s most significant developments.
This approach also sat at the heart of our Growing Talent Morley programme. Delivered in partnership with Leeds City Council, the Morley Town Deal Board and almost 100 employers, the programme has engaged more than 10,000 young people in understanding how regeneration is shaping their community and the opportunities it could create for their future.
These conversations often reveal perspectives that are missing from traditional consultation processes. Young people are less influenced by what a place has always been and more interested in what it could become. They frequently raise issues around sustainability, accessibility, wellbeing, connectivity and economic opportunity, themes that are increasingly recognised as key ingredients of successful places.
What has been particularly striking through our work over the last two decades is how thoughtful and practical young people’s ideas can be. Whether discussing transport links, cultural facilities, green spaces or employment opportunities, they understand the barriers they face and are keen to contribute solutions.
Given the chance, they move beyond simply identifying problems and begin imagining how places can better meet the needs of future generations.
There is also a wider benefit to involving young people early. Regeneration projects depend on public support and community ownership to succeed. By engaging younger residents now, we help foster a sense of belonging and responsibility that can endure long after construction has finished.
Young people who feel their voices have been heard are more likely to become active participants in their communities, civic leaders and advocates for local growth.
This is particularly important for towns and cities across Yorkshire that are seeking to retain talent. Too often, young people feel opportunities exist elsewhere and plan their futures accordingly. But meaningful engagement can help counter this narrative.
When young people can see investment happening around them and, crucially, can see that they have played a role in shaping it, their connection to place strengthens.
If regeneration is truly about building places fit for the future, then future generations deserve more than consultation once the plans are finished. They deserve a voice while those plans are still being written, and the evidence suggests our towns and cities will be stronger, more resilient and more successful for it.
Megan Lipp is commercial director at Ahead Partnership