eprintid: 4578
rev_number: 5
eprint_status: archive
userid: 1
dir: disk0/00/00/45/78
datestamp: 2024-07-09 13:44:13
lastmod: 2024-07-09 13:44:13
status_changed: 2024-07-09 13:44:13
type: thesis
metadata_visibility: show
sword_depositor: 1
creators_name: Ohlson, Cameron
creators_id: S5519314
creators_email: c.m.ohlson@student.rug.nl
title: Making space for skateboarding in Groningen
ispublished: unpub
full_text_status: public
abstract: The municipality of Groningen has announced that they are embracing the rapidly growing urban sport of skateboarding. The formalization of the sport of skateboarding, which tends to rely on the availability of diverse and engaging spaces, often experiences challenges on the municipal level. These challenges include lack of available space, conflicts with other residents and businesses, lack of political will, reproduction of transgressive behaviors commonly found in urban subcultures, and the exclusion of non-male participants. Despite growing research on the benefits of skateboarding, the link between skateboarding and one’s ‘right to the city’, and the sociological functions of the subculture itself, there is still a need to understand the dynamics of individual cases. A municipality may claim to be ‘skater-friendly’, but the skateboarders in the area may still experience issues such as legal or social discrimination, a lack of space to practice skateboarding safely and creatively, or a lack of agency. This thesis adds to the understanding of the complex dynamics at play when a municipality decides to embrace skateboarding. Through using a mixed-methods approach of field observation and semi-structured interviews, the case of Groningen is characterized. By identifying the needs of skateboarders through interviews and relating them to Groningen’s laws and spaces, this thesis highlights the gaps hindering Groningen from becoming a skater-friendly municipality. Then, by recommending methods to fill these remaining gaps, the thesis will serve as a toolkit that can be used to improve the environment for skateboarders not just in Groningen, but worldwide.
date: 2024
pages: 93
thesis_type: master
degree_programme: SP
tutors_name: Ataol, O.
tutors_organization: Fac. Ruimtelijke wetenschappen, Spatial Planning & Design
tutors_email: o.ataol@rug.nl
security: public
keywords_local: Skateboarding
keywords_local: skateparks
keywords_local: urban sports
keywords_local: spatial norms
keywords_local: urban governance
keywords_local: right to the city
keywords_local: exclusion
keywords_local: inclusion
language_iso: en
date_issued: 2024-07-09
comment: N/A
citation:   Ohlson, Cameron  (2024) Making space for skateboarding in Groningen.  Master thesis.   
document_url: https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/4578/1/MastersThesisFinalOhlsonS5519314.pdf