Childhood and the City: Porto Alegre through the lenses of children

ABSTRACT The paper analyses how children view the city in which they live. An ethnographic methodology was used to follow a group of nine children, from 4 to 12 years of age, who live in different neighbourhoods of Porto Alegre (Brazil). The main aim of the paper is to investigate how the children understand their lives in that city. They were invited to photograph places they considered important in their daily routines.These photographs were the basis of talks about the city and their lives. The analysis focus on the spaces defined by the children through the photographs, such as the places created by them or for them. Also, they manifest their opinions, worries and fears, which shows how vital it is to listen to them, and to allow them a voice in the debate concerning the development of the city in which they live.