The City and the Park in Times of Pandemic: Children’s Practices in Public Spaces Before and After the Lockdown in Porto, Portugal

Abstract

Starting from a research carried out in the city of Porto, Portugal, on the uses of public parks by children with different social backgrounds, this chapter discusses the practices and views of children when they visit parks in times of pandemic. Playing outdoors potentially contributes to the well-being of children. However, children’s independent mobility and use of public space were already declining prior to the pandemic, with urban childhood increasingly revolving around indoor settings including the home and school. The observations of playgrounds in Porto before and after the lockdown reveal that children now engage more in solitary play, isolated from peers. As such, they might be playing outdoors again, but they are not playing together.