Cidade criativa e infância: a dinâmica dos parques e equipamentos públicos com grande circulação de crianças em Nata-RN

Abstract

In the Creative City, creativity starts to be valued, having in this element an important resource regarding the sustainability of cities. Thus, an important concept to be highlighted in this model of city, refers to the creative social environment, where spaces are set as environments rich in diversity and culture, aside from the opening to new ideas and the promotion of socialization and leisure. Thus, it is necessary to think of these places in order to embrace the entire population, especially children. Children, as subjects of law and producers of culture, even if in the stage of development, access public parks and equipment as an option of leisure and socialization, expressing themselves through play and games. Based on these considerations, and through a qualitative approach in which an ethnographic study has been supported, making use of several instruments such as observation, oral reports, photography and also as a complementary method, interview. This study's research scope was, the Parque Estadual Dunas do Natal Jornalista Luiz Maria Alves (Parque das Dunas), the Parque Cidade da Criança and the Espaço Cultural Francisco das Chagas Bezerra de Araújo (Área de Lazer do Panatis), aiming to reflect on public spaces, its equipment and its relation to socialization, leisure and children’s activities in the city of Natal-RN, seeking to understand its social and cultural relevance. This way, the interactions established by the children were observed, whether between the members of their own family or with other subjects, visitors of the researched places, as well as the types of games, use of toys and participation in the proposed activities. We also analyzed the oral reports of families, as well as the types of public policies offered. As a result, we noticed that in all three environments the games are not restricted to the use of designed toys, in fact, they receive a new meaning from the children, creating new functionalities, either by the lack of equipment maintenance, or even by the inexistence of the toys. We also observed that the socialization of the children happens spontaneously, motivated by the games, despite interactions not always being encouraged. As for the cultural, leisure and sports offer, there is no continuity policy regarding the demands of childhood, even though Parque das Dunas maintains projects in private-public partnerships, while activities in the other spaces surveyed happen sporadically, or not even occur in some places.