Adolescents from Bhubaneswar and Jaipur lead a dynamic dialogue on shaping safer, healthier and more inclusive public spaces.

Bhubaneswar, 15th November 2025: Youthopia 2025 brought together adolescents, urban practitioners and city officials for a day of engaging discussions, presentations and storytelling. The event spotlit adolescent-led transformations of streets, parks and community spaces, illustrating pathways to shape inclusive, healthier ecosystems for all residents, including India's 253 million adolescents — the world’s largest adolescent population.

Giving the keynote address, Chanchal Rana (IAS), Commissioner, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation said, “The transformation of cities begins when everyone participates, and is truly realized when people care about the well-being of every other citizen. What people need are the right channels and platforms that enable their ideas to transform to on-ground action.”

Now in its second year, Youthopia 2025 is a major milestone in the Fondation Botnar-supported Safe, Vibrant and Healthy Public Spaces project, anchored by WRI India with on-ground partners, I-India, Magic Bus Foundation, Humara Bachpan Trust and Aaina, and learning partner Auom Impact and Consulting.

Although adolescents (aged 10-19 years) account for over one-fifth of India’s population, urban planning largely overlooks their need for safe, accessible places to play, connect and learn. Findings from Bhubaneswar and Jaipur reveal that the lack of open, green and accessible public spaces restricts opportunities during critical developmental years — fuelling screen dependence and exacerbating mental health risks, while constraining physical, emotional and social growth.

At Youthopia, young participants recounted their lived experiences and presented six successful demonstrations of adolescent-friendly sites across these two cities. They also shared their insights from a recent global learning exchange, pointing out how models like Ghana’s Adolescent Parliament can meaningfully include youth voices in local decision-making.

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A highlight of the event was the presentation of the YuvaCity Handbook — a practical guide to help adolescents identify neighborhood public space issues, voice concerns and present needs to city authorities. Srilakshmi Krishnaswamy, Founder, Auom Impact and Consulting, said, “The YuvaCity Handbook empowers adolescents and community members to champion public spaces using the Public Spaces Assessment Framework (PSAF) tool. It also clearly communicates to civil society organizations and city officials how to embed adolescent voices in urban decision-making.”

"Public spaces are vital commons that connect people to better physical and mental health," said Prerna Mehta, Associate Director, Urban Development, WRI India. "When adolescents have a hand in designing them, cities can unlock innovative solutions that benefit everyone. We are adding to the growing body of research linking public spaces to well-being, to create evidence-based models for healthier cities."

So far, more than 1,300 adolescents have helped develop the Public Spaces Assessment Framework (PSAF) — a data-driven tool that guides how they co-design solutions with local communities and civil-society partners.

Media Contact

Arundhati Sen, WRI India | arundhati.sen@wri.org 
Satbhan Singh, WRI India | satbhan.singh@wri.org

About WRI India*

WRI India, an independent charity legally registered as the India Resources Trust, provides objective information and practical proposals to foster environmentally sound and socially equitable development. Through research, analysis, and recommendations, WRI India puts ideas into action to build transformative solutions to protect the earth, promote livelihoods, and enhance human well-being. Know more: https://wri-india.org/ 
* Please refer to WRI India only as “WRI India”, and not World Resources Institute India, nor World Resources Institute, nor WRI-I, nor any derivation thereof, regardless of language, nor any other name that deviates from “WRI India”.

About Magic Bus India Foundation

Magic Bus is an NGO working in the field of education and skilling space in India. Founded in Mumbai in 1999, magic bus works with young people living in poverty, taking them from a childhood full of challenges to a life with meaningful livelihoods. They work with young people’s ecosystem (parents peers, community and local institutions) to create a network of support for them. https://www.magicbus.org/about-us.php

About I-India

I-India is a non-profit, non-governmental organization established in 1993. I-India’s mission is to provide care, love and development for children living on the streets of Jaipur. They assist children with their immediate challenges, such as homelessness, malnutrition and illness, while also developing their attitudes and skills so they can make a better future for themselves. https://www.i-indiaonline.com/abt_ii_overview.htm

About Aaina

Aaina, which literally means ‘mirror’, is a voluntary organisation, based in Odisha, India. The organisation was conceived as an effort of a few socially sensitive people who came from different backgrounds, charged with the vision of working with the vulnerable sections of the society and addressing issues giving rise to such vulnerabilities. In this context, persons with disabilities, children and women became the core focus areas of the organisation. https://aaina.org.in/index.asp

About Humara Bachpan Trust

Humara Bachpan Trust (HBT) is a not-for profit organization advocating for safe and healthy living conditions with improved socio-economic status of communities living in poverty. It is led by children, youth and women who identify the issues, prioritize them and propose solutions to address those issues before the appropriate authorities. The focus of their work is creating an enabling built environment, public -civic engagements, community participation in urban and rural governance and empowerment through enterprise and entrepreneurship. https://www.humarabachpan.org/

About Auom Impact & Consulting by Insomanywords

Auom Impact and Consulting designs and strengthens interventions addressing complex and wicked problems faced by the marginalized in humans and beyond humans. Recognizing that every social problem is a behavioral problem that is part of the web of dynamic, interconnected systems of individuals, beliefs and larger context of community norms, policies and structures, Auom integrates applied behavioral science, systems thinking and future foresight, to design and strengthen interventions that are committed to drive positive socio-ecological- environmental impact. https://www.insomanywords.space/

To know more about the project, visit here.