The project investigates how young people can help create more sustainable and inclusive cities.
HANGOUT aims to examine the unique needs of young people in urban spaces and to develop solutions for more inclusive and sustainable cities.
OsloMet is one of eight partners in the project, with Associate Professor Daniel Piatkowski leading the Norwegian contribution. OsloMet plays a key role in the project, with the Norwegian team providing insight into youth involvement and developing solutions for sustainable mobility.
The Norwegian part of the project, funded by the Research Council of Norway, has a maximum budget of €380,000 and is part of the European partnership "Driving Urban Transitions" (DUT), which supports the transformation of cities towards greater sustainability.
The 15-minute city has become a popular concept in modern urban planning. This model ensures that residents can access all essential services within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. It aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve public health, and enhance the overall quality of urban life.
Young People as the key to a sustainable future
Despite the benefits of this model, young people are often overlooked in its planning, even though they have unique needs and challenges related to mobility and accessibility.
The HANGOUT project is based on the idea that young people, especially those aged 14 to 18, should play a more central role in urban planning. This stage of life is marked by increasing independence and distinct mobility needs, which are often neglected in current urban development practices.
By giving young people, a voice in the development of urban spaces and transport solutions, cities can not only become more inclusive but also accelerate the transition to a climate-friendly future.
“Systemic challenges, such as policy blind spots and lack of access to transport and urban spaces, often prevent young people from fully participating in society. We need to address these issues if we are to achieve more sustainable and inclusive cities,” say the researchers behind the project.
Focus on four European cities
Over three years, HANGOUT will study the lived experiences of young people regarding mobility and accessibility in four European cities: Lisbon, Barcelona, Holbæk, and Delft. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, including what is known as "Sociotechnical Systems Analysis," researchers aim to identify challenges and barriers that prevent young people from fully engaging in urban life.
Two of the cities, Lisbon and Holbæk, will establish so-called "Urban Living Labs," where young people will actively participate in developing mobility solutions. Through practical experiments and collaboration with researchers, urban planners, and policymakers, young people will co-design, test, and refine solutions that contribute to more inclusive and sustainable societies.
Holbæk in Denmark will work closely with Norwegian researchers to develop and test solutions that can be adapted to different urban contexts. This partnership represents a unique opportunity for Norwegian research to play a key role in sustainable and inclusive urban development.
"By involving young people directly in the planning process, we can develop mobility strategies that not only meet their needs but also promote sustainable travel behaviour and strengthen their sense of citizenship," emphasise the researchers.
OsloMet to research youth mobility
OsloMet will lead the evaluation of youth mobility by combining existing data, findings from previous research and literature, as well as new data collected at the various HANGOUT locations.
To address these diverse needs, OsloMet will subcontract specific basic tasks related to data. This will ensure that the team has sufficient capacity to handle the specific tasks and deliver high-quality results.
The subcontractor will be a Norwegian firm, Kobla, which specialises in the collection and processing of georeferenced travel behaviour data. Kobla is already involved in collaborations with both OsloMet and Asker Municipality, which will act as an observer in the project.
Six core cctivities
The HANGOUT project is structured around six key activities to ensure both theoretical and practical progress:
- Develop a comprehensive research framework that integrates transport justice, universal design, intersectionality, and psychological factors.
- Study young people's experiences with the 15-minute city through fieldwork in the four cities.
- Create an open-source digital tool to analyse young people's access to key urban resources.
- Identify best practices for youth inclusion in policies, urban design, and public awareness campaigns.
- Establish Urban Living Labs to prototype solutions together with young people.
- Develop a toolkit with policy recommendations and practical solutions for youth-inclusive urban development.
Practical results and global applicability
One of the main goals of HANGOUT is to develop practical and scalable solutions that urban planners and policymakers can use in different urban contexts. The project will go beyond school commuting and address other mobility needs of young people, such as access to social activities and leisure.
In addition to OsloMet in Norway, the project involves partners from Portugal, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, and Brazil.
This international collaboration aims to create innovative and inclusive solutions that can shape the cities of the future.
