Co-designing a shared future: how can children be a part of the reimagining of Belfast’s interfaces?

Participants were aged 7–13 years old, with a total of 47 children taking part.<br><br>The thesis proposes the need for a theoretical phase termed ‘childrenship’ as a separate category prior to ‘active citizenship’. It also advocates for a participation model that reflects the complexities of children’s lives while focusing on building their capacity through participation. The research presents findings on children’s local experiences navigating their complex neighbourhoods, achieved by eliciting their voice through diverse participatory methods.

The findings highlight children’s agency, competence and urban literacy in articulating their environments, as well as how diverse, capacity-building participatory methods can better enable their voice.<br><br>By detailing children’s lived experiences in disadvantaged interface communities in Belfast, the thesis finds a high degree of commonality. Regardless of community backgrounds and spatial experiences of division, children from these neighbourhoods share similar socio-economic issues and a strong awareness of their built environments.