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The joint initiative of d|part and the German Marshall Fund of the US carried out the project „Co-Creating Our City“, with financial support from the Gambrell Foundation.
Many cities worldwide recognize the importance of youth participation in urban development and local government. Often, however, there is a gap between good intentions and genuine engagement. Traditional approaches—youth councils, citizen participation initiatives, or surveys—are often merely symbolic, have little connection to real decision-making processes, or are inaccessible to many young people. The result: young residents who would like to contribute but have few opportunities to do so; and city officials miss out on valuable input from young people that could make policy more inclusive, innovative, and effective.
The "Co-Creating Our City" project addresses this challenge with a citizen science approach – a participatory research method in which young people and city representatives work together as researchers. Side by side, they investigate local challenges, collect and analyze data, and jointly develop practical, evidence-based solutions. By combining lived experience and political expertise, this collaborative process builds trust, strengthens dialogue, and ensures that the perspectives of young people are incorporated into decision-making.
This documentary follows the first two pilot projects in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Düsseldorf, where young people and city officials worked together for a year to develop new ways of meaningful youth participation. Their experiences show how cities can put research findings into practice – and thus create vibrant, inclusive communities driven by the ideas of young people and supported by a citizen-oriented city government.
