Co-Creation Using Street Art in Cities under Stress in Mexico and Britain

This chapter investigates the potential of street art-based Co-Creation workshops to transform underprivileged urban areas and enhance young people’s right to the city and development of citizenship. After introducing Co-Creation as a method of collaborative knowledge production involving artists, researchers and urban stakeholders, the chapter focuses on three case studies developed in disadvantaged neighborhoods in the Global North and the Global South with a particular focus on young people’s experience in urban areas “under stress”. Co-designed between 2018 and 2022 by researchers from the University of Bath, Britain, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (NAUM) and a range of civil society partners, these case studies were conducted in two neighborhoods of Mexico City, Iztapalapa (2018) and Pedregal de Santo Domingo (2022) and in Cheltenham, UK (2022). The comparative analysis of these case studies offers a valuable insight into how a street art base Co-Creation approach can help young people develop their skills, identities, and perceptions of themselves as actors of positive change. The conclusion evaluates the potential of street-art and Co-Creation methods to enable teenagers affected by multiple disadvantages to have their voices listened to.