Transforming urban landscapes: soccer fields as sites of urban sociability in the agglomeration of Dakar

Abstract

Vacant spaces in urban landscapes are not so much ‘empty’ places reserved for future constructions, but rather provide arenas for social and cultural practices which transform the vacant plots into sites with multiple functions and meaning. The example of neighbourhood youth clubs in the agglomeration of Pikine/Guédiawaye, a fast growing suburban area of Dakar (Senegal), demonstrates how young people use the ever decreasing number of ‘empty’ spaces in the city for various purposes and in particular as soccer fields. These soccer fields serve as platforms for the construction of urban identities, conflicts and sociability where dreams and desires of urban youth are reflected. The practice of using a field can have spatial, social, and imaginative implications. The erection of simple goalposts or the construction of a whole stadium both change the spatial dimensions of the urban environment and influence the practices performed on a specific site. What is more, by using symbols and signs, the social and cultural practices of young people go even beyond the spatial limits of a site and produce not only visible, but also invisible urban landscapes.