Designing 'youth master plans' in a CLE space: lessons from using Minecraft in secondary school outreach project in Scotland

Abstract

Lefebvre (1991) argued for a 'right to the city' so that more people are involved in the (re-)production of urban spaces but this is problematic to implement for 'hard-to-reach' groups such as young people. I argue that the constructivist learning environment (CLE) space developed in this paper has potential, both as theory and method, in offering an environment where young people can critically assess and re-design the spaces in the 'real' world through a virtual portal. The CLE space as a 'relational space' will be distinct to the spaces where conventional participatory approaches unfold e.g. a community hall - this is where virtual gaming software such as Minecraft have potential and which would prevent workshop 'gatekeepers' from presenting an a priori blueprint as to how design solutions ought to be carried out by young people. Policy makers can use CLE space for developing 'child-friendly cities' or 'youth master plans'.