Sociologist: Don't take the street away from young people / Who determines that being on the street is abnormal?

Is the street only for passing or can citizens walk, socialize and spend time without having a specific destination? The recent statements of the police chief of the supervision of public places in Greater Tehran about Sanai and Iranshahr streets and describing them as places "far away from pedestrians" have re-raised the debate about the limits of citizens' presence in public spaces.

According to Arjan's ambassador, Mehdi Qavamipour, a sociologist, believes that the street is always more than a passageway, and determining what kind of presence is desirable or undesirable in it becomes a social issue related to power.

Qavamipour says: "More than just describing or criticizing the behavior of young people, these statements can express a specific image of the street and the way citizens are present in the city; It is as if the street is the only way to pass and being there is meaningful when one has a specific destination."

Pointing out that presence without a destination is sometimes defined as a senseless or abnormal behavior, he explains that the naming of citizens' behaviors is also part of the process of determining norms in the public space.

This sociologist considers the street as a space for social encounter, lifestyle display and the formation of relationships among citizens; A space where people don't just go from one point to another, but experience part of their daily life.

The description of this conversation has been published under the title "Pedestrians around the streets of Tehran" / Sociologist: Don't take the street away from the youth / The youth sometimes come to the street because they have no place to be.

According to him, in different periods of Iran's contemporary history, from the constitution and the oil nationalization movement to the 1357 revolution, in addition to its daily function, the street has also become a place for people's presence and demands. For this reason, the street has always been related to the issue of controlling the public space and determining the limits of the presence of citizens.

Qavamipour emphasizes that this issue should not be limited only to political protests; Even walking, socializing and gathering of young people in the street is part of the social life of the city.

In summing up his view, he says: "The street is not just a way we cross to get somewhere. "The street is where we live the city."

From this sociologist's point of view, the main question is not only why young people walk in the street; Rather, one should ask why their presence in the public space must be justified by having a specific destination.