
Can Public Spaces Make Young People More Climate Aware?
Sneha, 17, sighs as her parents once again fret about Jaipur's sweltering heat and remind her — yet again — to drink water. She dutifully pours out a glass and sets off to meet her friends, but lately, even the evenings have felt too hot to enjoy being outdoors.
Sneha is not alone. Young people across Indian cities are watching the climate crisis unfold around them. Some say that this summer is hotter than the last, while others point out that their neighborhoods flood in ways they had not before. Shaded areas have become essential for using public spaces during the day. "And it's not just us," says Shivam, an 18-year-old resident of Bhubaneswar. "The birds can't take these rising temperatures and the plants are parched."
Young people are among those most affected by climate change effects — physically, emotionally and socially. A Lancet study found that about 75% of the people within the 16 to 25 age group fear the future because of climate change. Growing climate anxiety, combined with limited outdoor access, is taking a toll on young people’s health, social skills and connection with nature.
Designing outdoor spaces that reflect young people’s needs can create opportunities for them to share knowledge and reshape their environments. Here are five ways public spaces can support youth-led climate action.
Knowledge Exchange Among Young People
Public spaces can function as open classrooms to host workshops, knowledge-sharing events, and peer interactions. Climate-centered exhibits and interactive elements can enable playful, tactile and visual informal learning. These initiatives can be led by young people, positioning them as both learners and leaders in responding to climate challenges.

Resilience in Public Space Design
Public space design can support climate action by integrating simple, replicable and cost-effective features, including nature-based solutions (NbS). These may include groundwater recharge, greening, protecting native vegetation and passive cooling to enhance ecosystem health. For example, a Cities4Forests initiative offered tailored nature-based solutions for schools and universities in Jaipur. The solutions demonstrate how greening, and rooftop farming can reduce heat while improving biodiversity and water resilience. Such efforts can inspire young people to adopt similar practices at home and in their neighborhoods and cities.
Co-creating with Young People
Young people can be powerful agents in shaping and managing climate-resilient public spaces. Given appropriate participatory mechanisms, they can voice their needs, co-create climate-responsive designs, and cultivate a sense of ownership over public spaces. This can empower them to drive climate awareness and action across communities.
In Jaipur and Bhubaneswar, WRI India collaborated with over 1,000 residents between the ages of 10 and 19 years, through the Safe, Vibrant and Healthy Public Spaces project, to develop the Public Space Assessment Framework (PSAF). The framework helps gather insights from young people to assess and shape public space design, making them key contributors toward more inclusive and resilient cities.

Shared Action
Public spaces can serve as dynamic platforms for collective action by hosting shared community activities such as gardening, composting, water harvesting and greening. These initiatives unite diverse citizens around shared outcomes, creating space for meaningful collaboration, while strengthening collective ownership and environmental awareness.

Inspiring Behavioral Shifts
Embedding climate awareness into the fabric and experience of public spaces can nurture sustainable habits that feel natural and intuitive. Regular interaction with green, inclusive and climate-resilient public spaces can gradually shift everyday behaviors, especially among young people, like choosing to walk instead of driving, conserving water, protecting greenery and reducing waste.
Tapping into the creativity, energy and fresh perspectives of young people to reimagine public spaces can unlock innovative and impactful climate solutions. This co-creative process helps young people build a lasting sense of ownership and responsibility, leading to ripple effects across schools, families and local institutions.
To make this possible, collaboration between planners, decision makers, designers, civil society and young people is essential. Working together, we can create public spaces that are truly inclusive and resilient. With the right support, these everyday spaces can become living classrooms and nurture the climate leaders of tomorrow.
