Ecological Security of the Urban Environment in Youth′s Expectations About the Future

The article examines the ecological security of the urban environment as a vital factor in choosing a city / dwelling place by the young generation for their future residence and the implementation of life plans. A modern city is seen as an urban geosystem in which ecological issues are manifested. An eco- logically comfortable urban environment is a marker of a high quality of life and preservation of human potential. Images of the future as a process and result of mental experiments serve as a guideline for social actions and interactions of individuals and groups. Drawing on the materials of the 2019 survey of young people, carried out in Yekaterinburg, Russia ( N = 750), as well as the results of in-depth interviews conducted in 2020 ( N = 10), the article argues that an ecological factor is expressed in the repertoire of life scenarios of urban youth, affecting the choice of an area of future residence and mobility. An unfavor- able ecological situation becomes the foundation of fears in young people and increased ecological anx-iety. It determines the formation of a catastrophic consciousness and worsens social well-being. Eco-risks are realized both at the local-territorial and at the planetary levels. The younger generation stimulates a demand for the development of parks, gardens, green areas, and considers dwelling on higher floors as a factor that reduces the rate of diseases caused by environmental exposure. To reduce the severity of the problem and ease environmental fears (ecological anxiety), it is necessary, first of all, to develop ecologi- cal thinking. Major agents in this process are institutional entities such as the family, school, university, as well as reference groups, leaders of environmental movements.