Youth voices in the built environment: a comparative study of Youth Participatory Action Research advocacy

Background: Young people are directly affected by built environment decisions but are rarely included in formal planning or policy making. Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) offers a mechanism for youth to generate localized evidence intended to inform policy and practice. However, little is known about how youth-generated research evidence (URE) is taken up in built environment decision-making contexts. Methods: This comparative case study examines two YPAR initiatives: the Nashville Youth Design Team (NYDT), a high school research and design internship in Nashville, Tennessee, and Photovoice at the Creek (PAC), an afterschool photovoice program with 4th-6th graders in Northern California. Data sources included semi-structured interviews, ethnographic fieldnotes, and head-notes from extended engagement. Analysis involved within-case thematic analysis, cross-case synthesis, and team-based consensus building. Findings: Across both cases, URE was used conceptually, processually, tactically/symbolically, and occasionally instrumentally. Conceptual use was most common, as youth reframed issues and challenged deficit narratives. Process use emerged as youth developed civic agency and adults adapted practices. Tactical/symbolic use increased visibility and legitimacy of youth priorities. Instrumental use appeared primarily in the Nashville case, where sustained partnerships enabled direct application. Differences highlight the role of age, institutional positioning, policy proximity, and relational infrastructure. Conclusions: Findings extend URE frameworks by showing how relational and structural dynamics shape whether youth-generated evidence is recognized and acted upon. Designing YPAR with attention to these dynamics can strengthen near-term impacts and support more inclusive built environment policy over time.