The knowledge of city history as a basis of youth engagement for urban sustainability

Abstract

The main purpose of this report is to evaluate the potential of Russian youth's civic engagement through their knowledge of local culture and history. This area of research, policy and practice of governance is connected with different kinds of youth participation and civic engagement as positive factors of small and medium cities' development. The positive development of territories correlates with an increase in the citizens' activity aimed at improving urban spaces for living and recreation and in promoting information about their city. In Russian regions the concept of good governance, in which one of the principles is the participation of residents in city development and management, has recently been declared. In the conditions of economic and social instability it is important to understand with whom and how the officials and specialists can and should work. The authors consider that forming an attachment to the places where a younger generation is born and creating the desire to live and work in these cities is important to consider in order to involve young people in urban life. The report analyzes data from an online survey of 2844 young people from 47 cities of Russian region where 4,325,000 people live (2018). This report presents an analysis of the “knowledge of culture and history of the city” influence on the respondents' subjective assessments of the value of cultural and historical objects in their cities. The report provides evidence of the influence of “the knowledge of history and culture of the city” on the readiness of young people for various types of civic engagement and defines several types of such an engagement. Among young people who are confident in their knowledge of the culture and history of the city, there is a higher level of readiness to be involved in the city event volunteering, to participate in community work days, to hold city holidays and social events. The report also proves that knowledge of culture and history has a direct impact on the desire of young citizens to spread information about the sights and cultural objects of their city. © 15th European Conference on Management, Leadership and Governance, ECMLG 2019. All rights reserved.