Conceptualizing a Youth Observatory for Understanding Urban Inequality and Social Change: Evidence from Cartagena, Colombia

Abstract

This study conceptualizes the youth observatory as an analytical and governance-oriented framework for examining social change, inequality, and youth development in urban contexts characterized by persistent structural disparities, using Cartagena, Colombia, as an empirical case study. Rather than conceptualizing the observatory solely as a technical mechanism for data collection and monitoring, the article argues that it should be understood as a platform for knowledge production capable of identifying emerging patterns in youth trajectories, institutional fragmentation, and evolving forms of civic engagement. The research employed a qualitative, descriptive, and interpretive design based on documentary analysis and a focus group comprising institutional stakeholders involved in youth-related initiatives. Findings indicate that the principal challenge in Cartagena is not the absence of youth-related information but the fragmentation, discontinuity, and weak articulation of existing institutional and knowledge-production systems. As a result, valuable evidence remains underutilized in policy formulation and institutional decision-making processes. The findings further demonstrate that education, labour-market integration, political participation, cultural access, mental health, and digital vulnerability should not be treated as discrete dimensions but rather as interconnected and mutually reinforcing components of contemporary youth experience. Ultimately, this article contributes to current debates by proposing the youth observatory as an analytical, interpretive, and governance mechanism that links evidence generation, public deliberation, and policy development. The study provides both empirical and conceptual foundations for the establishment of youth observatories in contexts marked by urban inequality, institutional fragmentation, and accelerated social transformation.