This paper analyzes the practices through which children assert their right to the city in contemporary urban spaces, developing a theoretical framework that interprets children’s subversive practices as legitimate exercises of active citizenship. Starting from Lefebvre’s considerations (1970/2014), and integrating the Geography of Childhood, which recognizes children as legitimate urban inhabitants (Cadei, Alfieri, 2021; Satta, 2021), and the Capability Approach (Nussbaum, 2011; Sen, 2009/2010), a theoretical interpretation of children’s right to the city is developed through three fundamental urban capabilities. The analysis demonstrates that children exercise active citizenship by renaming places according to affective logics, creatively transforming urban elements through tactical appropriation of the territory, and accessing prohibited geographies to construct clandestine spaces. The study concludes that recognizing children as present urban citizens requires a radical rethinking of city organization, transforming inclusive rhetoric into material structures effectively accessible, usable, and transformable by all.
Il presente contributo analizza le pratiche attraverso cui i bambini rivendicano il diritto alla città negli spazi urbani contemporanei, sviluppando un quadro teorico che interpreta le pratiche sovversive infantili quali esercizi legittimi di cittadinanza attiva. Partendo dalle considerazioni di Lefebvre (1970/2014), integrando la Geografia dell’Infanzia che riconosce i bambini abitanti urbani legittimi (Cadei, Alfieri, 2021; Satta, 2021) e il Capability Approach (Nussbaum, 2011; Sen, 2009/2010), viene sviluppata un’interpretazione teorica del diritto infantile alla città attraverso tre capabilities urbane fondamentali. L’analisi dimostra che i bambini esercitano cittadinanza attiva rinominando luoghi secondo logiche affettive, trasformando creativamente elementi urbani con l’appropriazione di parti del territorio ed accedendo a geografie proibite per costruire spazi clandestini. Lo studio conclude che riconoscere i bambini quali cittadini urbani presenti richiede un ripensamento radicale dell’organizzazione delle città, trasformando le retoriche inclusive in strutturazioni materiali effettivamente accessibili, utilizzabili e trasformabili da tutti
Rinominare, trasformare, appropriarsi: il diritto infantile alla città
Verbicaro M.;Oliva P.
2026-01-01
Abstract
This paper analyzes the practices through which children assert their right to the city in contemporary urban spaces, developing a theoretical framework that interprets children’s subversive practices as legitimate exercises of active citizenship. Starting from Lefebvre’s considerations (1970/2014), and integrating the Geography of Childhood, which recognizes children as legitimate urban inhabitants (Cadei, Alfieri, 2021; Satta, 2021), and the Capability Approach (Nussbaum, 2011; Sen, 2009/2010), a theoretical interpretation of children’s right to the city is developed through three fundamental urban capabilities. The analysis demonstrates that children exercise active citizenship by renaming places according to affective logics, creatively transforming urban elements through tactical appropriation of the territory, and accessing prohibited geographies to construct clandestine spaces. The study concludes that recognizing children as present urban citizens requires a radical rethinking of city organization, transforming inclusive rhetoric into material structures effectively accessible, usable, and transformable by all.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
