Ragnhild Roald presented a social anthropology essay on images of childhood in cities and suburbs. The document discusses Norway's increasing urbanization, with 70% of children now growing up in cities. It explores why families move from cities to suburbs, citing reasons like lack of space, nature access, and a "child-friendly" environment. Interviews found families prioritize space, outdoor areas, and a simpler life. The essay argues this choice prepares children for society by protecting them, though some seek the tolerance of cities. It proposes more flexible, affordable housing and accessible public spaces in cities to accommodate diverse modern families.

1. Bergen School of Architecture_Diploma 2010_11/03
og
Trygghet eller toleranse
- forestillinger om oppvekst i by og forstad
1st confrontation
Presentation of social anthropology essay, site and concept
“Security and /or tolerance - images of childhood in the city and suburb”
Ragnhild Roald

2. Bergen School of Architecture_Diploma 2010_11/03
Comprehensive
urbanisation
Over the last decade Norway has
experienced a process of comprehensive
urbanisation. 70% of children and young
people now grow up in urban areas (01.2001).
Central city growth is characterized by
young people migrating to study and work
- and counteracted by families with chil-
dren moving out.
Ragnhild Roald

3. Bergen School of Architecture_Diploma 2010_11/03
Central Sub-central Suburbs
ÅSANE
YTRE SANDVIKEN
ARNA
CITY CENTRE
LODDEFJORD
INDRE LAKSEVÅG
BERGENHUS
MINDE/LANDÅS FYLLINGSDALEN
FANA
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway, with 256 600 inhabitants. 34 000 live in
central parts of the city (Bergenhus), while the southern suburban area is experienc-
ing the greatest degree of growth.
Ragnhild Roald

4. Bergen School of Architecture_Diploma 2010_11/03
Thesis
I have looked at the modern home in a cultural and historical context, and what we
concider good conditions for raising children within the city and suburban areas.
What
- impacts our decision on where to live when we establish ourselves with family?
- does the moving pattern look like, and can it be related to lifecycle and social roles?
- are our images of growing up in the city - or in the suburb?
- values do we look for in the environment we seek to establish in?
- are our expectations - and are they fulfilled?
Ragnhild Roald

5. Bergen School of Architecture_Diploma 2010_11/03
The home - a carrier of meaning
- owning one’s own house; ecomonic and material security
- expression of social position/status
- model for the society we live in (gender, privacy/public, hierarchy)
- reflects changes in society
Anthropologist M. Gullestad: the threshold is at the same time a barrier and protection,
representing the practical and symbolic border between the home and what is outside.
She emphasizes the symbolic value of the home, as a carrier of important elements
such as:
cohesion and identity
lifecycle
social group of reference
safety
closeness
independence
The separation of the private and the public,
the others and ourselves, becomes important
in order to protect the family unit.
Ragnhild Roald

6. Bergen School of Architecture_Diploma 2010_11/03
territoriality distancing
“defended neighbourhoods” “community of limited liability”
physically defined spatial signs
space time
two categories: building relations
those who belong and graded development
those who do not belong “discrete points along a continuum”
Consepts of relations
(Gerald D. Suttles, M. Gullestad: Symbolic fences)
Ragnhild Roald

7. Bergen School of Architecture_Diploma 2010_11/03
A house with a garden
“Husbanken” was established 1946, as a measure to
rebuild the country after the 2nd WW.
- self-reliance
- equality
50’s Husbankhus
- primarily single homes and other small houses
Mid `50’s >
- progress and rationalization
- build more, faster - for the masses
- new technology and raised standards
From `70’s >
- individual freedom and responsability
Mesterhus
- critical to planning and regulations
- the flexible, self-regulating market
77% live in small houses
50% single home
Blinkhus
Ragnhild Roald

8. Bergen School of Architecture_Diploma 2010_11/03
Many changes - short dis-
tances
Society of high mobility
- economic growth and ability to adapt.
The relocating follow a fixed pattern, based
on economy and status. The (financial)
opportunity obligates continue the process
of “moving up”.
The process of moving : Rites de passage
STATUS
- moving between different social states
TIME
(Betwixt and between, Turner)
The home represents the social state we
are in, and reflects our position in the life-
cycle. Expectations realted to how we facili-
tate the physical conditions surrounding our
EXPECTATIONS
children - and the family as a whole. The
tendency to wait longer before establishing,
and increased financial security may con-
OPPORTUNITY
tribute to an accegerated focus on the fam-
ily dwelling, preserving the traditional image
of the family.
Ragnhild Roald

9. Bergen School of Architecture_Diploma 2010_11/03
City exile
We all live with the memory of a place we
have lived before, which we try to recreate. The
lives of students and other young people “visiting”
the city can be characterized as a condition of
constant temporality.
Families with children represent a more stable
and predictable condition. They often feel
more ownership towards their surroundings, and
invest more in the local community.
Ragnhild Roald

10. Bergen School of Architecture_Diploma 2010_11/03
The interviews
As basis for the essay I have interviewed 8 young families. Most of them lived in the
city before they had children - and most of them moved out.
WHY?
lack of space
lack of suitable outdoor area
closer to nature
“barnevennlig”
social relations (friends and/or family)
view - air - peace
- and a simple everyday life
.... based on travelling by car
Ragnhild Roald

11. Bergen School of Architecture_Diploma 2010_11/03
Ragnhild Roald

12. Bergen School of Architecture_Diploma 2010_11/03
city suburb
danger safety
unpredictability control
tolerance recognition
contrast equality
passive active
traffic nature
confrontation protection
Ragnhild Roald

13. Bergen School of Architecture_Diploma 2010_11/03
A choice of values B
How - and where - we raise our children has a direct influence on the development
wich we prepare the basis for. By moving out to the suburbs - to “ones own” home -
we prioritize the family. Even though many was forced to move for economic reasons,
they rationalize their choices in order to find meaning in their current situation.
The choice is made based on our own experiences of childhood,
and often try to reestablish former networks.
HOW?
thoroughly developed infrastructure
(by foot, bike and public transportation)
good, and accessible outdoor areas
social arenas for developing community
private outdoor space
- a simpler everyday and the possibilty to
affect your own situation
A
Getting from A to B?
Ragnhild Roald

14. Bergen School of Architecture_Diploma 2010_11/03
Do we merely protect our children from the
unpredictable
dangers of the city, or rather expose them their surroundings,
in order to
prepare for the society
they are going to live in?
Ragnhild Roald

15. Bergen School of Architecture_Diploma 2010_11/03
Who is the modern family?
Changing constallations, new needs.
The lifecycle is no longer rigid. The average age for establishing is rising, and we ex-
tend the city exhile. Many also break out of the family, and later establish a new one.
This calls for a more flexible dwelling structure, with smaller units.
Many seek to the city, to escape the social control in more homogenous areas. They
find the anonymous life in the city liberating, where deviations from the norm are less
stigmatised.
We have been able to continue an expanding development because we have had the
space and resources. To counteract a car based development, we need to give more
people the opportunity to live a more local life.
Ragnhild Roald

16. Bergen School of Architecture_Diploma 2010_11/03
Strategies for building in the city
1 Rehabilitation 2 Infill 3 New areas
Upgrading Available plots Regulation
Make accessible Parkingareas Former industrial areas
Join small flats Demolishing Harbour areas
Ragnhild Roald

17. Bergen School of Architecture_Diploma 2010_11/03
Site
As a part of the regional development there
are plans for moving the container hoarbour
to Flesland.
Conflicting interests - lack of business ar-
eas
Densification
History
Temporality
Who are we building for? How does these
new big develoment relate to the city?
Bergen is cosely connected to the sea. The
harbour is the very reason the city exists.
How does it affect the city that the harbour
is deprived of its function and meaning?
Ragnhild Roald

18. Bergen School of Architecture_Diploma 2010_11/03
Program
I want to make the city more
accessible for families. Dwellings
adaptable for diffenring lifeconditions,
and make an area inhabitable for
peolple of different ages and situations. Neighbourhood
new social structures
- change, temporality, diviation, fragmentation
The whole city is the community - opportunities
Every stranger is an potential new acquaintance Network
Traditional ideas of community demand presence and commitment. Community in the
city also involves confrontation and conflicting interests. Contribute on different premis-
es. A community which sets the framework for, but not dependent on, an active local
community. Room for the private in the public.
Ragnhild Roald