Simulated Social Space / Urban Space: “Kids Town” Themed Amusement Centres

Space is not an entity that exists on its own, but something that is produced as a result of given social relations, especially in the capitalist mode of production. For this reason, space should not be seen as an independent form of construction, but as a product determined by social structures and relations. Children play a role in the production of urban space as well as affecting family’s the preference of the living space and consumption practices. In this study, the dynamics affecting the process of shaping and reproduction of urban space with respect to children will be analyzed through themed children's entertainment centers. The nature of the changes and transformations in urban space will be examined through the children's city themed amusement centers, which we have seen in recent years in the world with increasing populations and also in Istanbul city in Turkey. Children's cities in Istanbul such as Kidzania, Kidzmondo and Minopolis Istanbul constitute a sampling of our research as spatial representations in Turkey of global consumption and entertainment culture in the theme of "children". The children's city-themed amusement centers, which are the main focus of this study, incorporate both global and local elements. Disneyland’s spreading all over the world and finding spatial reflections in Turkey, which is also called Disneyfication, is observed easily in Istanbul city especially. Children's cities are children's amusement centers that emerge as a special entertainment venue only for children and offer children a simulation of the real world. These places, which are the scene for a combination of consumption, learning, and fun, are also seen as "learning places". These amusement centers create new spaces of child-centered consumption in the cities and they show that space has become a consumption object in new contexts