Bhubaneswar: Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), in collaboration with Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and WRI India, hosted a capacity-building workshop aimed at strengthening the planning and design of adolescent-friendly public spaces.
The initiative reflects the City’s commitment to creating inclusive urban environments that promote health, safety, and well-being for all residents.
Chaired by BMC Additional Commissioner Ratnakar Sahoo, the workshop brought together over 40 engineers from BMC and BDA.
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Addressing participants, Sahoo emphasised the need for evidence-based planning, stating, “Urban environments have under-utilised open spaces.
A data-led approach catering to the needs of all would help improve the quality of public spaces while centring the health and well-being of adolescents.”
A distinctive feature of the workshop was its co-leadership by young public space ambassadors aged 10–19 years.
These young residents engaged engineers in participatory discussions and hands-on activities, sharing lived experiences and highlighting the everyday challenges adolescents face in public spaces.
Participants were introduced to practical tools such as the Public Spaces Assessment Framework (PSAF) and the YuvaCity Handbook, developed by WRI India.
Through mapping exercises, engineers identified opportunities for targeted interventions around schools, colleges, and community hubs.