SSU #4. Cities through the eyes of children and young families: a journey through history (1950-2020) (EN)

Young families have always lived in cities but their position have been questioned since the massive suburbanization processes of the second half of the last century. From that time onwards numbers of urban family households reflect great variation over time from downfall to rise and renew outmigration. In this Brussels lecture I will start with inviting the public to rethink the relationship between big cities and the youngest citizens. Family suburbanization revealed that narratives on cities and discourses of childhood are mutually exclusive boxes with very little overlap. Children were supposed to belong to the suburban and rural idyll. But from the end of the 1980’s, and more rapidly from 2000 onwards, families started to reclaim the city as a place to live. Growing up urban became a positive choice for middle class families. In so doing those families have reinvented the urban environment and reconstructed urban childhood. What does that family city look like? And what happened with the less fortunate urban families, mainly migrants? Why do we see today again an outmigration of young families occur? How can we explain the contested relationship between families and cities and should we regret that? All relevant questions I will try to (partially) answer in this lecture. In conclusion I will reflect on the challenge of creating a place for young families and their children in cities and indicate some possible positive developments.

Conférences mensuelles le vendredi soir de 17h30 à 19h30 à USquare.

Le rendez-vous pour toute personne intéresée par la ville et l’urbain, juste avant le début du week-end. 

En collaboration avec le Brussels Centre for Urban Studies.

Entrée gratuite / EN