Corcoran, Mary and Peillon, Michel and Gray, Jane (2009) Making Space for Sociability: How Children Animate the Public Realm in Suburbia. Nature and Culture, 4 (1). pp. 35-56.

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Abstract

This article aims to demonstrate the significant role children play in new suburban communities, and in particular, the extent to which their circuits of sociability contribute to social cohesion in the suburbs. The discussion is located within the field of sociology of childhood, which argues that children are active agents who help to create and sustain social bonds within their neighborhoods. Drawing on focus group discussions and short essays by children on “The place where I live,” we paint a picture of how suburban life is interpreted and experienced from a child’s perspective. We argue that children develop a particular suburban sensibility that structures their view of their estate, the wider neighborhood, and the metropolitan core. Although children express considerable degrees of satisfaction with suburban life, they are critical of the forces that increasingly limit their access to suburban public space.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	anti-urban ideology, children, neighborhood, public space, sociability
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Sociology
Item ID:	1207
Depositing User:	Prof. Mary Corcoran
Date Deposited:	23 Jan 2009 16:03
Journal or Publication Title:	Nature and Culture
Refereed:	Yes
URI:
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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