“Stuck in a place” : the independent mobility of children living in a city

Sammanfattning: This thesis is a threefold exploration into the independent mobility of children in living in a city. Firstly, the literature review investigated children’s place in the city and found that children are spending increasingly longer parts of their daily lives in children’s institutions such as schools. They form a series of urban islands created and watched over by adults. Furthermore, studies show there has also been a reduction in children’s independent mobility and an increasing reliance on the car due to the perceived dangers of the city and the increasingly hectic schedules of both children and their parents alike. Secondly, this paper asks what effect this may have on children’s ability to act as social agents in the generation of social networks and the building of communities. Research has indicated that the slow disappearance of a children’s street culture could have an adverse effect on their relationship with place and their ability to develop a sense of belonging. Additionally, a number of studies have also questioned what this means for social cohesion at a neighbourhood level. Thirdly, this study also attempts to apply some of the theories of previous research in the context of the lives of three children in the city of Malmö, Sweden and found that whilst they spend large portions of their week in school and other activities, they did demonstrate an interesting and complex relationship with their local neighbourhoods and the city. Moreover, this study looked to test and develop walking interviews as a potential method to capture and better understand children’s everyday lives and their relationship with their local environment. By moving through the urban landscape with the children, I was granted a look into their worlds and found that movement was vital to their understanding of and relationship with the city and its places.