À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ

Every year, after the first heavyÌýsnowfall, the city blends together under a soft, white blanket.ÌýÌýCurbs, carefully edged garden beds,Ìýsidewalks, and sewer grates are obscured and it appears as though no one hasÌýever taken a stepÌýon a single square inch.ÌýÌýGradually, though, boot prints and tire tracks begin to redefine theÌýcity, their ingrained paths making the boundaries of busy roadways and privateÌýyards clear again.

ToÌýbe a very young child in the city, is perhaps a similar experience.ÌýÌýThe spatial boundaries that are so distinctÌýfor adults hold no charged significance for children who revel in explorationÌýand for whom the city is still a blankÌýcanvas. Their naiveté only graduallyÌýgives way to a fear of unbounded space, reinforced by the cautions of theirÌýparents and societal authorities.Ìý

RecognizingÌýthe ever increasing complexity of the environments in which children mustÌýdevelop and act, it is imperative that we find a means for understanding howÌýthey might be better accommodated.ÌýÌýChildren appropriateÌýthe streets differently than adults—they blurÌýboundaries and test limits.ÌýÌýThis thesisÌýchallenges the strict delineation of the urban context to make room forÌýchildren.ÌýÌýIn contrast to the ratherÌýrigid definition of a city typicallyÌýheld by adults, the thesis aims to offer aÌýchild-like vision of malleability and curiosity in an attempt to restoreÌýownership of the city to children.Ìý

ThroughÌýphotography, drawing, story-telling, and historical pedagogical research, alongÌýwith the commented study of precedents from artists, architects, and otherÌýurban activists, the thesis offers a compilation of observationsÌýthat promote aÌýbetter integration of children in our cities.ÌýÌýRather than fencing in their creativity, we must strive to foster theirÌýinherent playfulness, removing the constraints that limit their spatial,Ìýtemporal, and conceptualÌýdevelopment.
Ìý