2023-24
Up-Size Field Day
Overwhelming responses from peer research informed Nashville Youth Design Team and Imagine Nashville that open spaces are important to teens. However, there few parks with dedicated teen activations, so the Team decided to address that with a pop-up Field Day geared towards “Up-Size Kids” (aka teens).
PROGRAM
Nashville Youth Design Team
PROJECT FOCUS AREA
Parks + Open Spaces
ACADEMIC PARTNERS
Kayla Anderson, PhD Candidate + Megan McCormick, PhD Student
Leading Dream City
Imagine Nashville is a collaborative effort to help the city identify and elevate shared values and priorities that will carry the city forward. In 2023, Imagine Nashville invited Civic Design Center CEO, Gary Gaston, to be on the steering committee, and through productive conversations about our city’s future, the Nashville Youth Design Team, with support from Civic Design Center staff, was tasked to capture the input of young people for this effort.
The Dream City workshop was designed to do just that. NYDT members dreamed up the original idea and tested its first iterations. The Team then supported data collection with their young peers, which went directly to the Imagine Nashville effort. 2,000 youth were engaged and 1,000 surveys were recorded!
Raising Youth Voice
Similar to the last 2 years, the Nashville Youth Design Team met at Belmont University for their Summer Intensive where they created priority statements and infographics about issues that youth care about deeply. Thereafter, they worked with design advisors who helped them imagine design solutions for those issues.
The Team addressed concerns based on the initial feedback of a little over 200 young people, 1) teen-centered spaces, 2) accessible transportation, 3) affordability, and 4) proximity to activated parks.
Each group presented their design solutions to be implemented in various locations around Nashville, Centennial Park, Clarksville Pike, Gallatin Pike, and Cedar Hill Park. Watch the full exhibition below.
Nada, Team Member and Junior
“Cedar Hill Park is boring. There’s a playground for little kids, but when teens play in the playground, we get weird looks and it doesn’t feel welcoming. We need something just for teens.”
EXHIBITION
Each group presented their ideas to industry professionals and the adults voted on which group’s idea would receive funding to implement their solution. Watch the recording above to see their presentations.
Winning Idea
2023
Over the past year, the NYDT has been researching what young people would like to see in their “dream city.” Parks have played a central role in many young people’s ideal communities. The research also showed a desire for more youth-centered spaces in Nashville. Given the importance of Nashville’s parks to youth, the NYDT thought that parks are a great opportunity to add activities for youth.
Initial Dream City data highlighted that teenagers often feel like public spaces were not created for them. They are too big for the play structures made for young children. In response, the NYDT hosted an Up-Size Field Day with up-size games for up-size kids (teens) at Cedar Hill Park. It was meant to highlight the need for more safe and affordable places for teenagers where they can socialize and get energy out. There were activities like bubble ball, soccer darts, a hammock lounge, giant bowling, and more, specifically meant for big kids.
During the event, the Nashville Youth Design Team showcased their design for an up-size playground, which is a playground exclusively for teens. 75% of youth participants shared that they “sometimes” go to parks, while only 8.3% shared that they “often” go to parks. 50% of youth surveyed said that they would go to parks “very often” if hang out spots, fun and free activities, as well as if wifi were added to parks, especially if parks were easier to get to; 41.7% said that they would visit parks “often.”
