Mara Mintzer: How kids can help design cities
Mara Mintzer thrives on engaging children, youth and underrepresented communities in participatory planning, an approach that aims to integrate the views of all community members into designing exemplary communities. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
a quarter of the population.
energy production and natural resources
of the full community.
has more say over public policy
I'm talking about?
and not surprisingly,
developers, politicians,
of a group of four-year-olds,
at city council chambers.
to design our cities?
to a small group of people
city initiative in Boulder, Colorado.
of civil rights advocates,
children and families.
city initiative before.
to address some of the frustrations
of a young child.
for more changing tables in restaurants.
for those cold and rainy days.
more hospitable to children and families.
I committed to this project
better cities for children.
better cities for themselves,
about this idea.
the voting age is 18.
understand complex ideas
a transportation master plan?
wouldn't they be childish?
made out of candy?
unsuspecting kayakers below?
children in city planning
end users in the design process?
to be largely used by kids,
in the park's design.
called "Growing Up Boulder,"
ages zero through 18
city-design solutions.
to redesign a large downtown park,
by a farmers' market on one end,
which runs through the middle.
inevitable flash floods,
young people in the process,
through high school students.
in their classrooms
with their recommendations.
we asked children to record their ideas,
on a field trip with us,
and didn't like about the space,
what they liked about the space,
tubing down the creek.
and used the red side
they didn't like, such as trash.
studied the Civic Area
with similar challenges
to combine their original ideas
to improve the space.
city council and community members
their recommendations.
stepped over blocks and stuffed animals
classroom recreation of the Civic Area.
at the students' ideas
constructed out of a jelly bracelet.
from animal-shaped plastic beads.
that architects create.
and I am pleased to report
are being implemented in the Civic Area.
access to Boulder Creek,
safely after school at night.
as they stroll by the creek.
child-requested ice-skating rink,
implemented at the Civic Area?
and well-informed adult
all of her ideas to be utilized,
this process for eight years,
some incredible benefits
differently from adults.
and how dangerous will it be.
"Are we going to get sued?"
constraints aren't real,
from the beginning,
and dampens the design process.
think about possibilities.
to design teen-friendly parks,
of skydiving, hang gliding,
into giant foam pits.
revealed an important story.
thrill-seeking opportunities.
given their developmental stage in life.
between inspiration and reality,
activities and equipment
installed in a park.
in Australia have done,
and their 30-foot-tall climbing towers.
and movement in their designs.
play and movement
to stay healthy, too.
containing a little lending library
beanbag chairs for reading?
each time you walk up the steps?
children value beauty in their designs.
dense affordable housing,
beige condominiums
on everything,
between biking and walking paths,
to connect with nature,
right in their backyards,
that incorporate water,
into their common spaces on site.
are rarely allowed to walk four blocks
environment benefits everyone,
to have restorative effects for all ages.
the desires or our littlest citizens,
that the joy of walking
along the way.
of Boulder's 19th Street corridor,
exploring leaves in a ditch
is as important as the destination.
in their designs.
into children's pictures.
they're closer to the ground
better than we can,
sense of empathy for other beings,
non-human species in their ideal worlds.
in their city planning.
from their grandmother in a wheelchair
they see sleeping in the park.
compelling discovery we made
is a city friendly to all.
are a kind of indicator species.
city for children,
city for all people.
and drive to the store.
an expensive lunch at the nearby cafe.
that take into the consideration
forms of transportation
of many other populations, too.
and more affordable bus service,
who wish to live independently,
protected walking and skateboarding paths
who wishes to go smoothly down the path,
has revealed something important.
in our planning,
to people of color, immigrants,
or with reduced incomes?
are we overlooking,
of the full community?
the needs and wants of other people
of our children as future citizens
for the citizens they are today.
that will make us happier and healthier.
social connection and beauty.
we all want to live in.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Mara Mintzer - Community engagement specialistMara Mintzer thrives on engaging children, youth and underrepresented communities in participatory planning, an approach that aims to integrate the views of all community members into designing exemplary communities.
Why you should listen
By using creative, participatory methods in classrooms and community events, Mara Mintzer brings children, city planners and elected officials together to address the city’s most pressing issues. She writes and presents internationally on the topic of engaging children and youth in planning.
Mintzer is based at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado, where she co-founded and now directs Growing Up Boulder (GUB). Growing Up Boulder is a child- and youth-friendly city initiative that is a partnership between the University of Colorado, the City of Boulder, and Boulder Valley School District. Since its inception in 2009, Growing Up Boulder has worked with more than 4,000 young people, ages 0-18, and 1,000 university students to give children and youth a voice in designing the very communities in which they live. Her students routinely provide input to urban planners and testify before city council on issues that matter to them. Growing up Boulder is part of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Community Engagement Design and Research (CEDaR) Center.
Prior to her current work, Mintzer created and managed programs for underresourced children and families in California and New York. These programs ranged from Early Head Start, preschool education and universal pre-kindergarten classes to parenting classes and coordinated family support services on a public school campus. In addition, she facilitated community building through participatory budgeting and neighborhood visioning processes for the California community in which she worked.
Mintzer received her BA in psychology from Brown University and her MA in organizational psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. She takes an interdisciplinary approach to her work that values the intersection of urban planning, education, civic engagement and social justice. A spirit of collaboration underlies all of Mintzer's work. She loves to travel and practice her French and Spanish language skills fearlessly.
Mara Mintzer | Speaker | TED.com