The City as a Childhood Space

Abstract:

Recent studies (Valentine, 1997; Mikkelsen; Christensen, 2009) have suggested that the experience of contemporary childhood in urban centers is increasingly lived in a fragmented way. In order to investigate such claim, this article aims to know the urban experiences of two girls and two boys who live in Brasília, Federal District, Brazil. The study considered visual methods and the children were understood as key informants. Map-like model (Blaut et al., 2003) and photo-elicitation (Clark-Ibáñez, 2004) were considered as tools for data generation. The analysis suggests that although children are directed to specialized and private spaces, their knowledge of the city is not limited.

Keywords:
City; Childhood; Non-Formal Education; Visual Methods