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Children, Urban Care, and Everyday Pavements

Author

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  • Kim Kullman

    (Department of Sociology, Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, London SE14 6NW, England)

Abstract

This paper takes a mundane piece of urban infrastructure, the pavement, as a starting point, approaching it through the experiences of 7–12-year-old children who journey between home and school in Helsinki, Finland. In doing so, the paper argues that the children and their travel companions are employing pavements to cultivate the caring potential of their city, whether this entails patting dogs, picking up empty bottles, or checking the safety of zebra crossings. Inspired by recent work on the geographies of care and affect attunement, the paper develops the notion of urban care to explore the implications of these child–pavement entanglements for the wider good of cities. Children are commonly understood as passive recipients of adult care in mundane spaces, but the paper demonstrates that children are actually skilled urban carers who maintain a range of attachments not only to their friends, siblings, and parents but also to various human and nonhuman strangers participating in the collective life of cities. The notion of urban care invites recognition of this relational work, engaging as it does with questions concerning the ways in which citizens might best attend to their fragile environments.

Suggested Citation

  • Kim Kullman, 2014. "Children, Urban Care, and Everyday Pavements," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 46(12), pages 2864-2880, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:46:y:2014:i:12:p:2864-2880
    DOI: 10.1068/a46260
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fyhri, Aslak & Hjorthol, Randi & Mackett, Roger L. & Fotel, Trine Nordgaard & Kyttä, Marketta, 2011. "Children's active travel and independent mobility in four countries: Development, social contributing trends and measures," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(5), pages 703-710, September.
    2. Ash Amin, 2008. "Collective culture and urban public space," City, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(1), pages 5-24, April.
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