Chapter 3 - Book 3 | Flashcards

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children and young people can appear “out of place” in spaces and places predominantly designed and defined by adults	police forces across the UK were also given permission to ban young people under the age of 16 from entering certain public spaces between 9 PM and 6 AM . When interviewed one police inspector expressed his views on this and as a positive action that all give members of the public, visitors and businesses the right to enjoy Leeds without being affected by antisocial behaviour of young people. This notion implies that young people do not have the same rights as others to enjoy the public spaces.
approach that has been designed to remove young people from certain public areas is a device called the Mosquito	The device is designed to emit an extemely high-pitched noise which can typically only be heard by young people under the age of 25. As the sound is so loud and annoying the young people are given no choice but to move on from that area. The United Nations Convention on the rights of the child , the children’s Commissioner and many human rights groups have all highly criticised the mosquito device and its unregulated use by businesses, councils, shops and private homes in the UK
many adults and also many young people themselves are intimidated when large groups of young people congregate in public spaces	However, many young people talk about the fact they have very few areas in which they can socialise and hang out with their friends, especially so in more deprived areas where houses are overcrowded and many don’t even have a garden
children themselves are often seen as being at risk when they are in public spaces	unaware of the multiple dangers such as, abduction, traffic and other young people
Depending on how people conceptualise children and childhood will depend on whether they are seen as a threat or at risk in public spaces	For example when students were kettles by police for protesting against tuition fees the term schoolchildren was used as opposed to gang of yobs which was used in connection with the mosquito device. This highlights, how different definitions of children and young people can create very different ideas and representations
childhood is a social construction that changes across both time and place	children will be perceived as a threat when they are not welcome in certain public spaces, or they will be seen at risk in public spaces depending on which location they are in and at what time will determine if they are seen as either innocent or evil
The term public space suggests all citizens are free to use the spaces as they wish	This idea links back to the Athenian model of democracy in which all citizens could assemble to vote and express their political views freely (P.G.114). Such places include Tiananmen Square in China
In more general terms public spaces could include libraries, streets, public parks, transit systems etc	the idea behind such spaces is that they are open for all people across all social backgrounds as a place to interact and spend free time. This does suggest however, that young people are not yet citizens until they are legally allowed to vote at 18 meaning they are not free to use public spaces in the same manner as adults
young children have the least access to public space due to their age limitations	Young children are often accompanied by adults in public spaces or they must have permission to go there in the first place
children’s play spaces are becoming increasingly consumer orientated and commercialised according to Cook (2003)	Place spaces to children are becoming increasingly commercialised and consumer orientated rather than just finding entertainment for children. For example, many soft children’s play spaces have now been set up to offer a safe, unique and carefully reconstructed environment for children to play and socialise whilst their parents can sit and have a coffee or go shopping. This example highlights the commercial element that plays spaces now incorporates in addition economic and social status will also determine whether families can afford to visit such play facilities
Netherlands and Denmark attempts have been made to integrate children’s needs into the design of public spaces. For example they have created home zones which have been designed to address the concerns of children’s safety and health when using public space	They incorporate features such as smaller spaces that are accessible for younger residents, more green spaces for play, traffic calming devices to make the streets safer and a variety of different display place spaces that serve a dual purpose such as roof terraces courtyard gardens and sidewalks
There has been many changes across the UK in the design of public space to support the development of home zones	For example, the government has provided grants for local councils to pedestrianize urban city centres including, traffic calming measures and dropped curbs . In addition, they are now providing public spaces which can be used for entertaining and socialising such spaces are often described as “emulating continental traditions of urban design” this suggests, that public spaces are more child and young people friendly because they encourage socialisation and leisure, for example buskers and street entertainers are now encouraged and given an allocated space, parks are often use for fitness purposes, music and local arts to encourage a multi-use approach that appeals to wide social groups.
On the other hand, government is trying to reduce antisocial behaviour by redesigning certain public spaces to discourage unwanted activities	For example, seating in public spaces has now been redesigned to prevent homeless people from sleeping rough on them, like bus stops. In addition public spaces which are hidden such as alleyways and dark corners are being redesigned to open up and discourage antisocial problems such as drug dealing, youth drinking and sex. Such areas, are being described as “pro-social” because they encourage good social behaviours
Urban spaces were being redesigned to appeal to both the social and educational needs of young people	It was suggested that young people and their communities should have a say in the design of urban space making them active participants in the plans which will affect their lives. For example they were public consultations for building a new park or school with the aim to empower the people whose views are not normally considered
many organisations such as charities, schools, and think tanks are now trying to promote the rights of children and young people to be involved and participate in urban design	In Australia, young people were given a chance to express their views and desires on designing a skate park. However, despite the findings of consultations many skate parks are still located in remote sites due to the term some call “teenaphobia” which is adults opposing and fearing a visible youth presence (p.g.130). This highlights, how although children and young people might be consulted but their wishes thoughts and ideas are not necessarily listened to and implemented which in turn marginalizes them from society and public spaces even more
Tonkiss (2005) suggests that many people actually admire and encourage young people’s ability to be creative, negotiate and make use of public space thus, romanticising and exaggerating their positive effects	For example graffiti and skate boarding is not always seen as a nuisance and some maintain it is their way of expressing and using urban space. Matthews et al (2000) suggests that many public spaces predominantly designed for children and young people do not allow the same self-expression as the streets. For example, they have limited space and too many structured activities that are supervised by adults meaning lots of children prefer the freedom of the streets where they can come and go and socialise with their peers as they want
parents are also struggling with setting boundaries and monitoring their own children’s use of public spaces	Valentine (1999) suggests that parents are on one hand trying to protect their children from the dangers of the outside world whilst also trying to allow them to be independent, play and socialise with their friends as they wish. Therefore they attempt to set limits and boundaries based on their age with an attempt to manage which spaces they use and when. However, depending on individual beliefs and assumptions the social construction of what determines “out of bounds” will vary amongst adults
On one hand age limits are set to make certain public spaces acceptable for young children and toddlers during the day which in turn become unacceptable for teenagers in the evening especially away from adult supervision	Qvortrup et al. (1994) maintains, that adults decipher which public spaces are acceptable for young people to access meaning they are increasingly becoming isolated and confined outside the general public domain. This notion suggests that children have no right or agency in the public spaces because adults own and decide their use
Many children are unfortunate enough to have to use the streets as a place to work live and sleep	Street children use all of public spaces in everyday aspects of their lives therefore they are central to creating their identity. Research undertaken on street trades in Puru found that it was an essential part of children survival on the streets to be involved with trading activities for financial reward such as cleaning sex work and shoe shining. It was through such activities that children learned life skills such as socialisation, self-esteem, confidence, empowerment and the enjoyments from work.
Women and men can also have different experiences in public space	For example many women are afraid of sexual violence and therefore this hinders how they use spaces such as avoiding certain spaces at night. This suggests that men in particular or young boys can be seen as a direct threat to females when they are hanging around in groups

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