A Vision of Kids for Transport was produced to help shape Auckland Council’s Vehicle Kilometres Travelled (VKT) Reduction Strategy by including a youth perspective that is typically underrepresented in the development of such plans.
The report is the result of workshops in 12 schools across Tāmaki Makaurau, with 181 student participants aged 6 to 11. Focusing on transport, we talked about their neighbourhoods now, how they get around, what they enjoy, and their hopes and expectations for the future. By understanding the ideas and insights of young people, we can shift the quality of wider conversations on the future of transport.
You can read and download the report through the PDF viewer below. Having trouble? Download a copy here.
Crank led the end-to-end process, from program planning and school engagement to workshop facilitation, data collection, research, report writing and design.
Council wanted to engage with schools covering a wide geographic area to gain insights into children’s perspectives from a broad range of communities and contexts. The engagement with schools was required within a short time frame, with less than a month's lead time between initial outreach and the workshop phase of the project.
To achieve this, we worked alongside the Auckland Transport Schools team and reached out through our own network of schools we’ve worked with on previous projects to identify schools keen to take part. Due to the tight timeframe - and an awareness of how busy schools can be - we aimed to be able to engage with six schools. Instead, 12 schools across Tāmaki Makaurau were keen for their students to take part in this opportunity to help shape the future of their city.
To collect student insights for this report, Crank developed a workshop approach in collaboration with a local teacher who provided valuable insight into how best to engage with the age groups on the topic.
The workshops used a worksheet, art exercises, maps and discussions to gather both quantitative data and qualitative insights into these key questions:
– How do children currently get around their neighbourhoods?
– What forms of transport do children prefer, and why?
– How do they see themselves moving around in the future?
Workshops were run by two Crank team members, with an emphasis on making the experience as easy as possible for teachers and school teams. A photographer joined us at four of the 12 schools to help bring the quotes and stories of the kids to life.
Using the qualitative and quantitative data, anecdotes and illustrations collected during the workshops, Crank wrote, designed and delivered the final report summarising the findings.
Four key themes are supported by photos, quotes and artwork from the young participants, as well as key data and insights. Overall, the findings show the direction of change in how we move through our neighbourhoods and city that the up-and-coming generation desires.
The report also includes supporting evidence from other studies, plans and projects from both New Zealand and overseas.
The final, 19-page report is now available to read and share with your collaborators, communities, schools and whānau.
Collaborating with schools has revealed a younger generation that is acutely aware of the links between transport and climate change, envisioning - and expecting - a future with sustainable transport options. The report makes several recommendations for city planners, city leaders, schools, parents and kids on how to work towards creating children's vision for transport.
A central insight was that 60% of participating students want to get to work without a car once they are adults.
In Years 5 & 6 today, these students will be in their mid-thirties by 205. They are the generation we expect to live a zero-carbon lifestyle, and it is clear that - while many adults don’t hold that vision for the future - they expect us to provide it for them.
A key hope for this project is that the adults in charge of the strategies and plans shaping our cities will be encouraged and empowered to action by the youngest voices of Tāmaki Makaurau. After all, they’ll be the ones to inherit it.
We’re grateful for the opportunity Council created to bring young people into the process to shape this important future strategy for the city.
This report would not have been possible without the generosity and insights of the teachers and student participants from Bayswater School, Bayview School, Epsom Normal Primary School, Greenhithe Primary School, Kelston Primary School, Meadowbank School, Newmarket Primary School, Nga Iwi School, Oranga School, Point Chevalier School, Silverdale School and Westmere School. A special thanks to Keren Rego from Point Chevalier School whose insights and feedback on our workshop plans were integral to the project.
Photography for the report was by Frame Portraits, research & writing support was provided by Jolisa Gracewood and design by Simon McMahon.
