Room to Grow: SWAN Youth Reclaiming Public Spaces
This project was a collaborative initiative between A Playful City and Swan Youth Service, Philip Halton (Goblin Magazine), Elements of Action, Green Edge and Holly Pereira Illustration, supported by HubSpot, driven by a shared commitment to empowering young people and fostering positive use of urban spaces. At its core, the project sought to address the lack of designated social spaces for youth in the Sir John Rogerson's Key area, aiming to create environments where young people feel comfortable, welcome, and have a sense of ownership.
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This project set out to challenge the often-misused label of "anti-social behaviour" by creating public spaces that genuinely respond to young people's social needs. At its heart, it was about enabling young people to reclaim public space for socialising, building stronger connections, and fostering a deeper sense of community ownership and pride. In many parts of inner-city Dublin, there is a distinct spatial inequality when it comes to access to play and social spaces. Young people are often marginalised from public areas, finding themselves either unwelcome or unsafe. To address this, the project engaged them in constructive, creative ways to improve their experience of the local environment. Shockingly, in some areas, there is only the equivalent of one A3 sheet of paper per child in formal play space—underscoring the urgent need for more inclusive, youth-friendly urban design.
The project was entirely youth-led, with every aspect informed by the young participants' ideas and desires for their area. From the initial design of murals and colour schemes to the specific activities offered, everything is a direct reflection of their vision. For instance, they envisioned a pop-up cafe, street entertainment, phone charging stations, live music, thrift opportunities and even hair styling.