Youth Shape the City: Katowice 2064

As part of Global Donut Days 2026, we invited young people to explore one central question: What would need to change for Katowice to become a city where young people can afford to live, work and build their future?

Students from the Jan Długosz 6th General Secondary School in Katowice took part in the GDD 2026 meeting at the Municipal Business Incubator of Katowice - RAWA INK. Having already taken part in earlier activities and developed an interest in Doughnut Economics, they were ready to look at the city through the lens of their own needs and aspirations.

The workshop Doughnut for Beginners introduced the main ideas behind Doughnut Economics and used DEAL’s Doughnut Unrolled tool to explore what young residents need from their city. The discussion focused on the social foundations of a good life and on the changes that could help Katowice become a more accessible and welcoming place for the next generation.

One concern stood out clearly: Katowice is becoming too expensive for young people. Participants spoke about the difficulty of affording housing and the wider costs of studying, living and starting a career. They also raised concerns about the cost of running a small business and the availability of stable, well-paid and interesting jobs. Transport and the lack of places to relax, particularly green spaces, were other important issues.

The discussion also explored possible solutions. Participants highlighted the need for more affordable housing, including making better use of vacant municipal properties and expanding social and affordable rental housing. Student accommodation was another topic. For young people preparing to become independent, access to a reasonably priced place to live can make a real difference to whether they can stay in the city after finishing their studies.

Ideas for local economic development also emerged during the conversation. These included creating more support for young entrepreneurs, such as hubs for start-ups and businesses working with new technologies. Participants discussed the importance of distributing economic activity more widely across the city, rather than concentrating it on the outskirts. This could help create a broader range of opportunities, including for small businesses and service providers. Better access to high-speed internet and initiatives based on sharing and exchanging resources were among the other ideas raised.

The programme also included a screening of the film It’s Okay to Panic, a documentary by Jonathan Ramsey featuring Professor Szymon Malinowski, an atmospheric physicist who speaks about climate change and the reasons why society often struggles to respond to it. Through excerpts from interviews and public statements by politicians and journalists, the film offers a sobering picture of how the climate crisis is discussed in the media, sometimes as if the scientific evidence were still open to question.

Professor Malinowski reflects on why people often fail to recognise the scale and urgency of the changes taking place. Climate change unfolds gradually; its consequences can be difficult to grasp in everyday life, and public debate is often marked by misinformation, mixed messages and a lack of sustained attention. The film also touches on the emotional difficulty of constantly confronting the scale of the crisis. Rather than offering ready-made solutions, It’s Okay to Panic invites viewers to reflect on how we talk about climate change, how we respond to scientific knowledge and why acknowledging the problem remains such a challenge.

The workshop connected Doughnut Economics with the everyday experiences of young people and their expectations for the future. Their contributions showed that a city’s appeal is not determined by education, jobs or its public image alone. Young people also need affordable housing, accessible transport, green spaces and realistic opportunities to develop their interests, start a business and build an independent life.

Imagining Katowice in 2064 means asking not only what kind of city we want to create, but also who will be able to afford to live in it and take part in shaping its future. Listening to young residents is an important step towards a city that works for both people and the planet.