Young Leaders of the City of the Future

Abstract

Sustainable built environment aimed at community’s well-being is possible to be striven for – with substantial involvement of citizens. Cultural vitality and freedom, social equity, environmental renewability, economic prosperity and solidarity are high global goals, although everyday reality depends to the largest extent on the way our closest surroundings are treated – according to common will and visions, individual attitudes, skills. Wider interrelationships concerning the inhabited space and its values, are evident to those who are emphatic, open to constant learning, imagining, experimenting, cooperation. This should concern, in larger and larger extent, the younger generation. An important point of departure for a new paradigm is the conjunction of environmental care and active participation, to foster self-agency within citizenship. Engaging young leaders in planning processes and governance, gives a chance to facilitate the implementation of invaluable potential, as well as puts education into practice – within the important lessons of everyday democracy. Examples of educational projects as well activities of school groups and youth councils may prove the value of this potential. The set of Sustainable Development Goals as well as the postulated Polish Architectural Policy contain the message ready to be translated both in educational and design practice.