More than half of the global and around eighty per cent of the western population grow up in cities. This text provides a vivid picture of children and youth in the city, how they make sense of it and how they appropriate it through their social actions.
Considering the causes and forms of social inequalities in relation to class, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, ability and geographical location, this book discusses specific issues such as poverty, homelessness and work. Each chapter draws on examples from both the developed and developing world, and throughout the chapters, the book:
- contrasts experiences of growing up in the city
- discusses how social inequalities, together with societal perceptions of childhood and youth, shape experiences of growing up in cities for different young people
- examines how young people appropriate the city through social and cultural practices
- considers contemporary movements towards the role of children and youths in planning processes.
Children, Youth and the City argues that young people must be recognized as urban social agents in their own right. This informative book deals with complex theoretical arguments and relates key ideas to this topical subject in a clear and coherent manner. The text is enlivened throughout with global case studies, photographs, discussion questions, suggested reading and websites. It is an excellent resource for students of Human Geography, Urban Studies and Childhood Studies.
Biography
Kathrin Hörschelmann is Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Durham, UK. Lorraine van Blerk is Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Dundee, UK.
'This book provides an excellent in-depth discussion of children’s and young people’s engagements with diverse urban environments. By integrating theoretical concepts and empirical concerns, the book shows how place, social differences, poverty and global processes of change affect the lives of children and youth in both majority and minority world contexts.' Dr Ruth Evans, Lecturer in Human Geography, University of Reading, UK.
'An essential and compelling contribution to the growing body of work that seeks to understand and explain children as active agents in their own right. By weaving theory with relevant case studies this book brings together a number of contemporary debates on the issues facing marginalised children and young people living in urban areas in an accessible and thought provoking way. It makes a valuable contribution to the complex issues facing children and young people living in 21st Century cites today.' Dr Harriot Beazley, Lecturer in Human Geography, University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia.
