What Do Teenagers in Industrial Towns Dream About? Students from Borodino, Nazarovo and Sharypovo Share Their Ideas with Master Plan Developers
The special project ”The Future of Cities Through the Eyes of Teenagers” has concluded. It was implemented within the framework of the national open competition for developing master plans for Borodino, Nazarovo and Sharypovo in the Krasnoyarsk Territory—small towns in the region’s south whose economies rely on coal mining and energy. The goal is to make them more attractive places to live through well-defined priorities and carefully designed projects.
A vision of the future is a key component of a master plan—the comprehensive document outlining development goals and the means to achieve them, including major projects. Strategies for the three towns are currently being prepared by competition participants. The competition is conducted by the Strategic Development Agency “CENTER” at the initiative of the Andrey Melnichenko Foundation. Results will be announced in late January 2025, when the jury selects the best master plans for each town. The teenagers' ideas will also be incorporated, making them co-authors of their cities’ future.
More than 50 students from the Melnichenko Foundation’s educational programme “Profklassy.FM” took part. They were asked to assess the current state of their town and articulate a vision for its future.
“The ability of our city’s residents to stay joyful no matter what...” — this is how the teenagers describe the present.
As for the future: “Our city will be beautiful, large, youthful—a place where residents feel safe and free.”
Participants were asked to propose ideas for urban development: improvements to public spaces, teen-friendly areas, parks and schools. The most common requests included sports infrastructure, spaces for connecting with nature, and places to engage in the arts.
The ideal youth space, according to participants, must be safe and support physical activity while offering both public and secluded areas. Essentials include Wi-Fi, good lighting, multifunctionality and opportunities for creativity and quiet relaxation.
A model “teenagers’ park” should not only offer cafés, recreational areas, sports facilities and natural retreats, but also spaces for creative expression—graffiti walls, an art studio, a co-working area.
Schools of the future, the students say, should be environmentally friendly and equipped with advanced technologies (VR, AI, robotics, 3D printing). They envision flexible, transformable environments that can easily adapt to different tasks.
In general, the teenagers’ vision of their cities’ future revolves around new technologies and expanded opportunities. Their ideal city is described this way:
“In the future it will be beautiful, vibrant and alluring. Everyone will want to visit. And anyone who visits even once will remain its admirer forever.”