More than half of the global and around eighty per cent of the western population grow up in cities. Here, Horschelmann and van Blerk provide a vivid picture of children and youths in the city, how they make sense of it and how they appropriate it through their social actions. Considering the causes and forms of social inequalities in relation to class, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, ability and geographical location, this book discusses specific issues such as poverty, homelessness and work. Each chapter draws on examples and cases from both the developed and developing world, and throughout the chapters, it: contrasts experiences of growing up in the city focuses on urban youth culture, consumption and globalization considers contemporary movements towards the role of children and youths in planning processes. Horschelmann and van Blerk argue that youths must be recognised as urban social agents in their own right. Their informative book, though dealing with complex theoretical arguments, relates key ideas to this topical subject in a clear and coherent manner, making this book an excellent resource for students of human geography, urban studies and childhood studies.

In 1909, when this book was first published, Jane Addams was the most famous woman in America. A celebrity and a spiritual leader, Addams was widely regarded as practical, realistic, and endowed with a special insight into the problems of urban America.The Spirit of Youth and the City Streets -- her favorite of her own books -- establishes Addams as an accomplished writer as well as a reformer. In this compact volume she examines the causes for the discontent of youth in the city, chiding educators for their "persistent blindness to youth's most obvious needs".Addams argues for the importance of providing direction and focus -- for example, through public recreation, practical education, and experiences in the arts -- for the pent-up energies of young men and women. She takes a realistic view of their basic social and sexual drives and their disaffection and alienation in an industrial world. At the same time, she rejects the hereditary explanations for delinquency that prevailed in her day.The Spirit of Youth and the City Streets is suffused with Addams's abiding compassion and tempered with her pragmatism and humor. Allen F. Davis's introduction provides a biographical profile of Addams and a commentary on her importance as a writer and a social activist.

Contrasts experiences of growing up in the city.

Recognizing the potential research with and about young people can have in decision making on multiple levels of policy and service provision, this book provides a key foundation for considering the influence of urban environments on young people, and vice versa.

A companion to City Kids, City Teachers is a collection of top-selected writings on life in urban schools and neighborhoods, in a volume that explores such topics as culturally relevant teaching methods, the criminalization of youth, and the inequities of school funding. Original.