Involving young people in the creation and development of a comfortable urban environment

Introduction

The increased attention of researchers to the study of the urban environment is due to the fact that in modern realities the main concentration of the population is concentrated in cities. This requires detailing and developing innovative solutions to improve the comfort of living in them. The modern appearance of the city represents an autonomous socio-economic system with a dynamic urbanization process. This fact is given that large cities at the current stage of society's development concentrate enormous potential, which manifests itself in the unity of interests of different segments of the population, an abundance of labor market options, the availability of consumer and production goods and products, as well as highly developed accessibility of services (educational, medical, household, and others).

In this context, youth is of particular demand, acting as a guarantor of future transformation processes, as an active social group open to change, and at the same time demanding living conditions.

Youth is a social group on which hope for future changes is placed, on which lies the responsibility for overcoming socio-cultural, political, and economic crises, as well as the formation of new, effectively functioning civil society institutions.

For youth, the city is not just a populated area and a place of residence or study (work), but it acts as a place for developing opportunities and self-realization. In cities where youth do not find satisfaction with the quality of urban space organization, a negative trend is observed - outflow to other cities and regions. To minimize internal migration processes, attention should be paid to mechanisms for improving living comfort in their native city.

Modern youth, compared to the older generation, undergoes socialization in different socio-economic, cultural, and political conditions. Modern processes determine a peculiar system of values in the new environment, which, of course, cannot but exacerbate the contradictions of the moment in the development of Russian society, one of the characteristics of which is an increased sense of duty for the surrounding reality and the lack of effective mechanisms for influencing it.

In this regard, the topic of research on youth participation in the development of a comfortable urban environment is becoming increasingly relevant.

All this necessitates the formation of conscious behavior oriented towards correcting the value-worldview attitudes of the younger generation and instilling a sense of social responsibility for what is happening around, including the organization of a comfortable urban environment.

A way to implement socially significant initiatives, as a tool for introspection, self-control, and realization of human potential, development of personal qualities and abilities of modern youth is social practice.

Recent years in modern Russia have been marked by the growing popularity of the process of involving Russian youth in voluntary, civic-patriotic, socio-political, and other vital spheres of society. The formation of communicative qualities and moral foundations of personality acts as the main goal. Undoubtedly, this is an approbation of new forms of organizing leisure and developing independent cognitive activity, youth employment, and also contributes to personal self-realization.

Thus, the relevance of the topic of this research is due to the fact that youth participation in discussing issues related to the main spheres of society is a priority, since it is youth, by natural circumstances, who will replace the older generation in all spheres of social life.

Scientific Results and Discussion

We conducted our own sociological research using a questionnaire survey among Belgorod youth to analyze their involvement in urban environment development.

The study involved a total of 151 respondents, predominantly girls – 63.6% and young men – 36.4%, respectively. The majority of respondents were 18–20 years old (33.8%), 25–29 (28.5%), 21–24 (27.8%), 30–35 (7.5%), and over 35 (3.5%).

Analyzing the research results, we come to the following conclusions.

The activities of local authorities inspire trust and satisfaction among the majority of surveyed respondents. Additionally, young people are satisfied with the state of development of public infrastructure in Belgorod, as reflected in the respondents' answers.

Among the most significant problems in the sphere of urban environment formation in Belgorod, respondents identified the following: the presence of significant shortcomings in the condition of urban roads and sidewalks (road surface condition, traffic light placement, curbs, stroller ramps, bicycle paths, pedestrian crossings); insufficient greening of the city and lack of safety and development of courtyards and adjacent territories; unsatisfactory public transport service; lack of accessible environment for people with disabilities, chosen by almost a third of respondents; lack of public, youth spaces.

However, the survey results showed that, in the overwhelming majority, young people do not show innovation and initiative, but prefer to act as ordinary participants in such events. There is also an average level of awareness about current government programs aimed at developing a comfortable urban environment.

In turn, disparity in answers is evident in the question about which age group of citizens prefers to take the initiative in public events. In the respondents' answers, priority is given directly to young people.

Opinions also differ on whether citizens (of different ages) themselves take an active position in developing a comfortable urban environment. The answers were divided in various ways. It can be concluded that residents of Belgorod show initiative only partially, which certainly requires special attention to addressing this problem.

The conducted study allowed us to identify key problems that hinder the development of a comfortable urban environment in Belgorod, which include:

• Shortcomings in the condition of city roads;
• Lack of proper landscaping of the city;
• Lack of safety and development of courtyard territories and their
• Problems with the accessibility of the urban environment for people with disabilities;
• Deficiency of parking spaces, inconvenient and cramped parking areas throughout the city;
• Ungraded children's and youth playgrounds in open courtyard areas;
• Transport problems (lack of cycling infrastructure, public transport and bus stop issues);
• Lack of effective maintenance of existing art objects, monuments, and other facilities;
• Insufficiently high level of participation of young residents in urban development or a formal approach to landscaping organization;
• Insufficiently effective maintenance of good condition (repair and restoration) of existing landscaping facilities.

These identified problems can be quite successfully addressed by involving young people in their solution.

In order to determine the level of youth involvement in shaping a comfortable urban environment in Belgorod, we used the methodology presented by the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation.

According to the data from the official state statistics body of Belgorod, as of January 1, 2024, the population of the Belgorod region aged 18-35 is 185,704 people (Official Belstat website).

According to the results of the conducted research (question number 6), the number of citizens aged 14 and older living in Belgorod, where state (municipal) programs for creating a comfortable urban environment are implemented, is 36% - 54 people out of 151 survey participants.

Based on the presented formula from the chosen methodology, the share of citizens who participated in solving issues of urban environment development from the total number of citizens aged 14 and older living in municipalities where events are held is only 0.0003%. This allows us to conclude that the level of youth involvement in solving issues of comfortable urban environment development is low.

Thus, despite the interest of Belgorod youth in issues of developing a comfortable urban environment, the demonstrated level is insufficient, which requires the development and testing of a project that stimulates youth interest in transforming the urban landscape.

Conclusion. Summarizing the above, the formation of a favorable and comfortable living environment for citizens is a defining task for city authorities. It has been determined that urban environment should be understood as a set of necessary conditions created by humans and nature within the boundaries of a populated area, determining the impact on the quality and standard of living of people.

Specifically in Belgorod, the formation of a comfortable urban environment is provided within the framework of many programs, the main objectives of which are: increasing the number of landscaped areas; increasing the number of landscaped public spaces; creating and developing conditions to increase the level of citizen involvement, particularly youth, in landscaping activities of municipal образований in the Belgorod region.

In recent years, modern Russia has been marked by the growing popularity of involving youth in voluntary, civic-patriotic, socio-political, and other vital spheres of society. The formation of communicative qualities and moral foundations of personality выступает as the main goal. Undoubtedly, this is an approbation of new forms of organizing leisure and developing independent cognitive activity, youth employment, and contributes to personal self-realization. This actualizes the demand for young people's participation in the development and decision-making of projects to optimize the urban environment.

During the study of youth opinion as a priority group of the population, the following problems that hinder the formation of a comfortable urban environment in Belgorod were identified:

• problems related to the accessibility of the urban environment for people with disabilities;
• lack of comfortable parking and high-quality road infrastructure (road surface condition, placement of traffic lights, curbs, wheelchair ramps, presence of bicycle paths, pedestrian crossings, etc.) in the city;
• insufficient maintenance of proper condition of landscaping facilities;
• problems with urban transport movement;
• insufficient greening of the city and safety of adjacent and yard territories;
• insufficient number of infrastructure facilities for youth;
• low level of youth participation in creating a comfortable urban environment and lack of effective mechanisms for organizing dialogue between authorities and proactive representatives of the youth group.

Despite the fact that residents of Belgorod can actively participate in shaping a comfortable urban environment, their involvement is insufficient, particularly among citizens aged 18-35. The local self-government bodies of Belgorod are implementing a number of measures to inform citizens about measures and opportunities for participation in shaping a comfortable urban environment: the operation of the "Active Citizen" electronic system, holding public hearings on current programs and projects, conducting online surveys and press conferences, publishing information on official websites, organizing subbotniks initiated by the authorities.

It has been revealed that the overall orientation of architectural and urban planning activities in Belgorod involves the restoration, preservation, and functional development of the socio-cultural center, as well as enriching the individual appearance and historical and cultural potential of the city with relevant architectural and artistic means.

Thus, Belgorod residents, particularly young city dwellers, are very interested in the development and improvement of the quality of life in Belgorod, which is confirmed by the presence of programs and projects aimed at enhancing the comfort of urban spaces.

However, despite the existing measures to optimize the quality of life of citizens and improve urban spaces, their quantity and funding are insufficient to fully realize the transformation of urban areas. In particular, there are no tools for full-fledged participation of young citizens in decision-making and demonstrating an active civic position to improve the comfort of the urban environment.

In light of the above, it seems necessary to develop a project aimed at involving young people in addressing issues of improving the comfortable urban environment in Belgorod. The "City Opened by Me" project was proposed, during which the following recommendations and measures necessary to solve the above-mentioned problems were identified:

1. Form a new channel of interaction and communication between government bodies and youth by introducing a municipal position of community manager;
2. Organize foresight sessions involving youth and representatives of government bodies, NGO owners, and commercial and public organizations;
3. Create a new section on the "Active Citizen" website for effective informing the population about participation opportunities and outcomes of the project to form a comfortable urban environment in Belgorod;
4. Expand the information campaign about youth-government interaction during the project implementation in mass media and the internet, including social networks;
5. Conduct sociological studies among the population to track project effectiveness and identify citizens' opinions on improving the urban environment comfort in Belgorod.

Thus, rational initiatives proposed by young generation representatives with promising and creative solutions will allow achieving an optimally formed urban space, which will reduce social tension, provide citizens with opportunities for self-realization, and ensure comfortable living.