Learning and Living in Urban Spaces
Contrasting Multi-Disadvantaged Life Contexts of Young People in Barcelona, Hamburg, Lisbon, and Vienna
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7577/njcie.6581Nyckelord:
Learning outcomes, Urban spaces, Young people, Life Contexts, Multiple DisadvantagesAbstract
The paper examines the interplay between urban spaces and learning outcomes of young people in vulnerable positions. Urban spaces accumulate more opportunities than regional or peripheral sites but entail also more risks in access to quality education, stable employment, affordable housing, and healthy living environment. In that regard, the paper aims to identify key characteristics of the relation between urban spaces and learning outcomes of young people in vulnerable positions. The paper is based on the findings of the European-funded research project Constructing Learning Outcomes in Europe: a multi-level analysis of (under)achievement in the life course (CLEAR) and specifically addresses four metropole urban spaces – Barcelona, Hamburg, Vienna, Lisbon. The paper applies a mixed-method approach by combining research data from semi-structured interviews with local policy practitioners and professionals in education and training (N=27), narrative interviews with young people (18-29 years) (N=43), especially those in vulnerable positions, and quantitative analyses of key socio-economic, educational, and employment indicators (N=51). The analysis shows that urban spaces amplify social and spatial divisions and inequalities, yet this has marginal impact on the quality of young people's learning outcomes. It also evidences that school and residential segregation correlate to a certain degree, with school segregation affecting more directly young learners. Finally, it suggests that the navigational capabilities and adaptive subjectivities of urban youth remain unrecognized by the institutions as educational achievements. The paper conceptualizes urban spaces as contexts in which learning and education unfold and directs the attention to the role of spaces in shaping learning outcomes and educational chances. It also provides an international and comparative perspective on the educational trajectories of urban youth in vulnerable positions and seeks to re-construct the intertwinements that facilitate or hamper on their educational achievements.
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![Note. Image generated using Gemini (Google), August 3, 2026. Prompt: "Cover illustration depicting young people's life courses across urban opportunity structures in Barcelona, Hamburg, Lisbon, and Vienna in a soft oil painting style." Google. (2026). Gemini (Aug 3 version) [Large language model]. https://gemini.google.com](https://journals.oslomet.no/public/journals/13/submission_6581_6703_coverImage_en_US.png)
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