Digital Public Spaces for Youth Engagement in Informal Settlements: Case Examples from Mathare in Kenya

Abstract

Public participation in all its forms is continually limited amongst the marginalized, especially those living in informal settlements. While the right to participate in decision-making on policy and development projects is enshrined in state laws, the urban poor continue to be excluded from such activities, thereby limiting their democratic rights. Inadequate public spaces are one factor that minimalizes the urban community’s participation in citywide proposals. Besides, other forms of participation, such as digital engagement, do not reach the urban poor due to the limited digital infrastructure in low-income areas of the city. Attempts to conduct participation in informal settlements see only a few people engaged in those worsening existing inequalities in cities. This article proposes a strategy for designing and implementing digital hubs as vital and vibrant public spaces for youth engagement in informal settlements. It looks beyond the hubs as spaces for merely enhancing digital connection but as spaces that integrate interactive and collaborative activities, thus bringing community members to participate in government decision-making processes and engagement with the community agenda. Taking the case of Mathare informal settlement, the article draws inspiration from the government of Kenya’s plan to establish 1450 digital hubs across all wards in the country. The article proposes a hybridity of activities in the proposed hubs to have both physical and digital engagement methods. Besides participation, the hubs would also be used to promote social health and wellbeing programs through digital literacy training, enterprise development, activism, empowerment, and engagement in remote/online tasks.