Barnets plats i en förtätad stad

Sammanfattning: To cope with population growth and urbanization cities turn to urban densification. Simultaneously, children are expected to be an increasingly important target group in the implementation of densification strategies. The demographic development has had a particularly large impact on the age structure in the municipalities around bigger cities where there is a large proportion of children. In this context, the essay aims to deepen the knowledge of how planners implement the child perspective in densification projects in municipalities located in larger city areas. This is done from a spatial perspective, as the thesis engages with Lefebvre's theory of space and the theory of neo-urbanism. The study also draws from prominent research on child geography. The thesis undertakes a case study research design, carrying out semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The results show that municipalities in metropolitan areas use checklists as a method for implementing the child perspective in spatial planning. Furthermore, municipalities prioritize good living environments near the city center to connect these cities to the nearby big cities. Also, the thesis finds that there is not enough knowledge on the child perspective among the municipality's politicians who govern the municipality. This lack of knowledge makes it difficult for planners to argue that the child perspective should be raised more than it is raised today when there are not enough resources within the municipality. Lastly, the thesis points to the need of future research on a gender- and ethnicity perspective within the planning for children.