About S²Cities

As cities grow and transform, young people are shaping more of the urban world than ever before. By 2030, 60% of the world’s urban population will be under 18—a powerful reminder that cities must be inclusive, safe, and responsive to the health, well-being, and aspirations of their young residents.

This becomes possible only when young people have the spaces, platforms, and support to make their voices heard—and to influence the environments they move through every day.

S²Cities was created with this purpose at its core. The Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation (GIB) launched this global programme to empower young people aged 15 - 24 years to shape safer, more inclusive cities of their own.

The phrase “safe and sound” evokes feelings of happiness, security, and peace.

“Safe and sound” inspired the name of our programme, as it aligns with our vision of what cities should be.

In fact, the name was suggested by Mohamed Abulfadl, a young sixteen-year-old from Egypt, in an international competition for young people!

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The S²Cities Journey So Far

2021

GIB and Fondation Botnar co-envision the S²Cities programme, rooted in the relational well-being approach.
Programme name is selected via an international competition with young people, coining the name Safe and Sound Cities — ‘S²Cities’.‍
Envigado (Colombia) and Bandung (Indonesia) join the programme as pilot cities.

2022

Global partners join S²Cities, bringing strategic guidance, technical expertise, and support across communications, monitoring and evaluation, and placemaking.
Local implementation begins in pilot cities. Both cities implement the programme’s Theory of Change in their local context—building systems understanding, strengthening the capacity of key actors, and activating the innovation engine—resulting in the selection of the first 8 youth initiatives for funding and implementation in Envigado and Bandung.

2023

S²Cities expands to Baguio and Naga (the Philippines) and Cuenca and Ambato (Ecuador). Innovation cycles in the new cities, along with a second cycle in the pilot cities, bring the total to 28 youth-led initiatives improving local safety.
Research partners join S²Cities to strengthen evidence and learning on youth safety.
Programme hosts its first Global Convening in Virtual Reality, launching the S²Cities Global Learning Network, bringing together young people, partners, and city actors to exchange lessons and best practices.

2024

S²Cities publishes a policy brief sharing key programme learnings and insights.
GIB, the global managing partner for S²Cities, becomes a member of the Cities4Children Alliance; S²Cities features in the Alliance’s knowledge products.‍
S²Cities is renewed for a second phase of five years.
GIB joins the World Economic Forum’s Baukultur Alliance; S²Cities features in their Innovative Practice, Volume 1.‍
S²Cities empowers young people to speak on global stages and contribute to the urban safety discourse by convening a delegation of youth and partner representatives at WUF in Egypt.

2025

Programme expands to Cartagena (Colombia). Innovation cycle in Cartagena, along with second innovation cycle in the Philippines and Ecuador, adds 11 new youth-led initiatives improving local safety.
Programme expands to Basel (Switzerland) with the support of the LGBTI Youth Fund.
First regional roundtable convenes in Envigado, further expanding the S²Cities Global Learning Network (GLN).
S²Cities special research issue published in the Journal of Public Space.
Hive Vibe, the S²Cities global youth-led communications task force, produces a micro-documentary.

2026

Second regional roundtable convenes in Baguio, uniting representatives from nine Philippine and Indonesian cities.
GIB joins the Global Public Space Network.

Programme Implementation Approach

S²Cities is an open and iterative programme based on a cyclical process of understanding systems, strengthening capacities, ideating and implementing solutions, and scaling systems change.

A core aspect of the programme is establishing formal partnerships with local governments, securing commitments to support data collection, co-design processes, and allocating municipal budgets towards youth issues and establishing youth innovation hubs. This process guides implementation activities and ensures continuity and collaboration across all cities.

Step 1

Understanding Systems

Step 2

Strengthening Capacities

Step 3

Catalysing Innovation

Step 4

Enabling Implementation

Step 5

Scaling Systems

Step 1

Understanding Systems

Reveals tactical triggers for change

Looking at safety from young people’s perspective

Mapping local stakeholders and examining the interrelations of safety issues which affect young people

Identifying local priority safety issues and their root causes through participatory data collection and analysis

Helping build a shared understanding of safety issues among young people and city actors

Learning Framework

Stakeholder Mapping

Participatory Data Collection

Adaptive Systems Model

Step 2

Strengthening Capacities

Fosters long-term sustainable change

Connecting actors and building networks

Using capacity gap assessments to design targeted trainings, mentorship sessions, and bootcamps

Helping authorities understand how to meaningfully engage youth in urban planning and decision-making processes

Strengthening the capacities of youth, private and public sector actors to sustain change

Gap Research

Training & Skill-Building

Youth Empowerment

Cross-Sector Collaboration

Step 3

Catalysing Innovation

Challenges the status quo

Applying design thinking methodology, using models like innovation engines to empower young people to co-ideate and pitch solutions which respond to priority local safety issues together with urban actors, ensuring alignment with city priorities

Building young people’s skills in pitching, prototyping, and creative solution development

Research

Ideation

Safety Solution

Design Thinking

Selection & Launch

Step 4

Enabling Implementation

Supports funding & partnerships

Selecting and launching initiatives

Securing strategic implementation partners and boosting fundraising

Developing clear plans for long-term anchoring and scaling of youth-led initiatives

Resource Mobilisation

Collaborative Partnerships

Operational Support

Adaptability

Monitoring & Evaluation

Co-funding and Resource Mobilisation

Step 5

Scaling Systems

Generates widespread change

Strengthening the preconditions for system change — policies, practices, resource flows, relationships, power dynamics, and mindsets

Ensuring improvements continue beyond the programme

Adapting and improving methods to fit other contexts

Connecting local progress to global research, advocacy, communications, and the Global Learning Network

Systems Change

Research

Advocacy

Cross-City Learning

Communications

Safer cities created for and with young people.

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While aligning with these larger goals, local implementation partners design their own methodology for implementing activities according to the local context and the city’s needs and priorities. Youth engagement is central to all stages of the programme.

Pathways to Systems Change

How S²Cities Drives Systemic Change?

The programme embeds itself within cities and their decision-making and operational ecosystems. Together with governments, young people and partners, the programme advances six key preconditions for system change:

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These preconditions stem from the programme’s Theory of Change. Read more here.

Our Partners

The S²Cities Global Programme Team is a collaborative of organisations leveraging their individual knowledge and expertise to create safer cities for young people.

Global Partners

Programme manager and intermediary organization

Global monitoring, evaluation and learning partner

Global communication partner