Being young and urban: changing patterns of youth involvement in local environmental action in Lima, Peru

This article discusses youth engagement in local environmental action in a peripheral settlement in Lima, Peru. Urban local environmental action is analysed in terms of the so-called "brown agenda", covering issues as the provision of drinking water and sanitation, waste collection, the paving of roads, adequate housing and the creation of green areas. The article describes how these brown agenda issues are mainly realised through adult collective action, with the notable exception of the creation of parks. Young people are intensively engaged in the creation of green areas and public spaces. This turned out to be a battle for physical as well as for social political space. Despite the fact that different youth groups were successful in creating parks and public space, adults tended to claim back these spaces once constructed. With the gradual consolidation of the neighbourhoods over time, the need for and interest in collective action dwindled, both among adults and among youth.