Young People and the Shaping of Public Space in Melbourne, 1870-1914

Using turn-of-the-century Melbourne as a prime historical location for investigating the relationship between a discourse of youth, youthful experience and the shaping of new urban spaces, Simon Sleight examines the uses of public space for purposes of play, street work, consumerism, courtship, gang-related activities and civic parades. A dynamic youth culture is revealed, flourishing in city spaces well before the arrival of the ’teenager’ as a popular concern in the mid-twentieth century.