For their growth and development, young people need freedom to enjoy public spaces and develop a sense of belonging—but they are often driven out by restrictive bylaws and hostile designs, says Dr. Janet Loebach, chief co-editor of “The Routledge Handbook of Designing Public Spaces for Young People: Processes, Practices, and Policies for Youth Inclusion” (Routledge, 2020). In a Mann Library Chats in the Stacks book talk presented in November 2020, Loebach demonstrates the value of youth-inclusive environments and shares ideas about how researchers, design and planning professionals, and community leaders can directly involve the youth in the process of creating public spaces.Janet Loebach is an environmental design researcher, consultant and professor of design and environmental analysis in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University. Dr. Loebach currently serves on the Board of the International Play Association in Canada, the Editorial Board of the journal Children, Youth & Environments, and as Co-Chair of the Children, Youth & Environments Network of the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA). Her work has been published widely in a variety of leading environmental design, planning and public health journals.
