Family-friendly city: new public space for children and their parents

Abstract

The article deals with the analysis of St Petersburg middle-class parents’ perception of urban space. The city is presented as a space of conflict of different actors fighting to define their place in the city, its optimal use and the boundaries between child and adult spaces. The paper is based on the empirical research results (analysis of interviews with parents and official documents) and describes the range and content of the activities of actors which set the configuration of the urban space for children (state, market and parents). The opinion of parents as active citizens about different initiatives of city administration and business community is analyzed. Conflicts about children’s playgrounds are cited as examples of daily urban confrontations. The author concludes that middle-class parents’ requirements toward urban spaces for children and new-type playground arrangement are rather specific.