Key to influencing the planning system is getting involved at the right moment. Duncan Thorp tells us about two projects that are helping engage young people in the process

News stories can be dominated by concerns over young people's behaviour, levels of violence and use of weapons. John Brennan asks why innocent children grow into violent adolescents – and what we can do about it

Green ogres don't eat yogurt. But Shrek on a fromage frais sells. Agnes Nairn asks why

Cityscapes and party places, deserted beaches and peaceful gardens: as part of Making Space 2010, hundreds of children and young people across Scotland took the chance to let international architects, planners, policymakers and designers know what they consider to be a perfect place

Almost 1000 young people from all over the world were in Istanbul in August for the fifth World Youth Congress, the leading international platform for youth-led sustainable development. Two of the Scottish delegation tell us what it was like