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The focus of this chapter is one school’s celebration of a migratory bird: the Bar-tailed Godwit. Its intention is to draw attention to the ways nature might be incorporated into cities in a way that is more intentional and effective, with a focus on children’s day-to-day travel. The godwit is famous for the world’s longest non-stop migration—flying 9000 kilometres each spring from the Arctic Circle to specific mudflats along Australia’s east coast, including those in Abbotsford, a suburb of Sydney. At Abbotsford’s local school, godwits are honoured through art and stories, highlighting their journey and Indigenous significance. The message is global, respectful and communal—a joyful acknowledgement of the wonder of nature in cities. Juxtaposed with this message are the day-to-day ‘migratory’ practices of families in Abbotsford. Although the suburb’s urban fabric provides an ideal environment for children to access school by walking and cycling, most come by car, reflecting the preferences and practices of mobility in Australian cities more generally. In this conceptual piece, an exploratory case-study methodology is used to highlight the simultaneous contrasts and parallels between the flight of the godwit and children’s experiences of daily transport. First, a social practice lens is used to position nature-based urban imagery as a shaper of practice with potential to provoke transitions to more sustainable ways of living in cities. The chapter progresses to explore themes and examples of ways both nature and day-to-day mobility in cities are presented to children. Using the case of the godwits in Abbotsford, the chapter reveals a disconnect—between children’s everyday mobility and their understandings of the awe and wonder of the godwit. The chapter concludes by exploring opportunities to better connect urban images of nature with everyday practices, particularly for children. It then articulates lessons for city planners and scholars, outlining the importance for both groups to notice frictions between the intent articulated through imagery, and the way people live in cities.

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Circle: Migrations and Mundane Mobilities of Childhood

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Jennifer L. Kent

摘要

The focus of this chapter is one school’s celebration of a migratory bird: the Bar-tailed Godwit. Its intention is to draw attention to the ways nature might be incorporated into cities in a way that is more intentional and effective, with a focus on children’s day-to-day travel. The godwit is famous for the world’s longest non-stop migration—flying 9000 kilometres each spring from the Arctic Circle to specific mudflats along Australia’s east coast, including those in Abbotsford, a suburb of Sydney. At Abbotsford’s local school, godwits are honoured through art and stories, highlighting their journey and Indigenous significance. The message is global, respectful and communal—a joyful acknowledgement of the wonder of nature in cities. Juxtaposed with this message are the day-to-day ‘migratory’ practices of families in Abbotsford. Although the suburb’s urban fabric provides an ideal environment for children to access school by walking and cycling, most come by car, reflecting the preferences and practices of mobility in Australian cities more generally. In this conceptual piece, an exploratory case-study methodology is used to highlight the simultaneous contrasts and parallels between the flight of the godwit and children’s experiences of daily transport. First, a social practice lens is used to position nature-based urban imagery as a shaper of practice with potential to provoke transitions to more sustainable ways of living in cities. The chapter progresses to explore themes and examples of ways both nature and day-to-day mobility in cities are presented to children. Using the case of the godwits in Abbotsford, the chapter reveals a disconnect—between children’s everyday mobility and their understandings of the awe and wonder of the godwit. The chapter concludes by exploring opportunities to better connect urban images of nature with everyday practices, particularly for children. It then articulates lessons for city planners and scholars, outlining the importance for both groups to notice frictions between the intent articulated through imagery, and the way people live in cities.