The purpose of this paper is to present, analyse and critique a research method, 'place mapping', used to document and understand teenagers' experience, use and perception of public spaces. Researchers in two case study sites, Edinburgh, Scotland, and Sacramento, CA, employed conventional street maps as a basis for eliciting and recording young people's spatial experiences. This method offers an effective mechanism for generating and structuring discussion-through dialogue-by the participants about their dynamic and shared experience of place, geographically recording places and ensuring equitable participation.
The current practice of excluding adolescents from public landscapes is explored through a review of public policies and common design practices that restrict their use of places. Policies reviewed include curfew and skateboarding ordinances. Design practices related to four types of environments-commercial areas, parks, neighborhoods, and schools-are discussed. The policies define when and where teens cannot get together and design practices often do not provide an alternative. For example, clients' request that designs not encourage teens to hang out and common design practices suggest spacing benches evenly along walkways rather than clustering them together so a group of teens can sit. Recommendations on how the needs of adolescents can be addressed through design are discussed. Suggestions include designing adolescent-friendly places, incorporation of youth activities with other age groups, and strategies for youth design participation.
This exploratory study seeks to better understand possible relationships between environmental factors, locus of control, and suicide risk among adolescents. The data derive from in-school surveys of eight-grade students conducted in 1998 and 1999 in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Wyoming. Results revealed higher levels of suicide risk were associated with a more external locus of control orientation. Relationships between suicide risk and several environmental factors and preferences also were found. Potential links between locus of control, environment, and suicide risk are discussed, as are implications for intervention efforts and future research.
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