Rua Augusta and Carnaby Street: The street as a setting for youth sociability in the 1960s

Abstract

Abstract This article discusses the creation of youth culture in the 1960s, focusing on the meaning of the urban space as a place of sociability for the youth of the day. The streets that were centres of youth sociability and culture in the 1960s, as Rua Augusta in São Paulo and Carnaby Street, the nucleus of the effervescence then called Swinging London, are the core of this analysis, and a comparison is drawn between both places. In Brazil, the establishment of youth culture is also related to the development of consumer habits and the occupation of an urban space. Rua Augusta constituted a locale for this growing public in the city of São Paulo. In the middle of the Jardins district, this commercial street was a scene of freedom, and used to be closed off on Saturdays, when it would turn into a sort of a boulevard. This street acted as a showcase for a new sociability and a space where youth could coexist, nourishing recognition and identity.