The Youth Intermediator: Designing Relational Transitions and Coexistence Through Boundary Objects

Abstract

Achieving deep decarbonisation requires transformative action, particularly at the neighborhood level, where implementation faces complex institutional, technical, and social barriers. A central challenge is bridging the persistent knowledge and communication gap between institutional actors and local citizens, especially vulnerable households whose situated experiences often clash with abstract policy mandates. This doctoral project investigates a participatory design (PD) project focused on the urban energy transition in Genk, Belgium, analyzing the critical function of youth mobilized as intermediators (or boundary spanners) between institutional plans and their local, multi-generational, and superdiverse communities. This proposal details the project's theoretical scaffolding—Everyday Lived Citizenship (ELC), Boundary Spanning, and Boundary Objects (BOs)—its PD trajectory, progress to date, and the core ethical and political challenges currently being faced. We conclude that foregrounding the intrinsic mediating role of youth, underpinned by co-designed Boundary Objects, offers a viable pathway for addressing the implementation gap, allowing for locally situated and socially inclusive outcomes.