Picturing the city: young people's representations of urban environments

Urban environments form the setting of everyday life for most Western young people. This article explores representations of cities made by young people in a range of environments within four countries. The inform a larger study on urban geographies within geography education. We analyse students’ of cities regarding physical characteristics, activities and issues. There are many commonalities drawings from the four countries, the majority showing a ‘big, busy city’ representation with , traffic and shopping areas. There are also distinctive characteristics for each set, for example students tended to emphasise environmental and social issues more than in the other countries. In to methodology, we conclude that drawings, supported by contextual information, are a useful to understand young people’s representations of cities. Further, this research supports thinking how to merge young people’s experiences and imaginaries with the teaching of urban geography.