Understanding Youth Perception of Urban Public Space Typologies: Implications for Youth-Centric Urban Design in Indian Cities

Abstract

Urban public spaces shape social interaction, well-being, and everyday experience, especially for young people. This study examines youth perception of four common urban public space typologies—parks and green areas, plazas and hardscaped spaces, neighborhood streets, and waterfront spaces—in the Indian context. Five dimensions (accessibility, spatial quality, activity support, identity and belonging, perceived safety) were measured through a structured Likert-scale questionnaire administered to 90 respondents aged 19–30 in Jaipur and other Indian cities. Three findings emerge: (i) a perception–preference disconnect, with mean perception clustering tightly across typologies (3.10–3.33) yet 55.6% decisively preferring parks; (ii) cross-city convergence, with no significant differences between Jaipur and other cities; and (iii) the neighborhood-street paradox, where streets are accessible but underperform on quality and dwellability. By pairing perception with stated preference across typologies, the study offers an original, youth-centred evidence base and transferable design recommendations for inclusive, responsive public spaces in Indian cities.