ABSTRACT
In this chapter our focus is upon middle childhood-generally between the ages of 8 and 12. We explore the journey through childhood as the child’s independent territorial range expands, accompanied by an increasing ability to interpret the physical and social world and to create new worlds in the imagination. While recognising the great differences in childhood experience across the many cultures of the globe, we generally confine discussion to the worlds of children in industrial urban or suburban societies, and particularly Australian society. We look at the role of childhood in human development, and explore issues of play and place; adult recollections of childhood; and the implications of technological and social change on childhood. We question the effects of these changes on the nature of childhood and its needs. Finally we discuss some practical implications of the geography of childhood for urban planning.
