<p>This paper aimed to understand how Psychology addresses the relationship between protection, participation, and appropriation of urban spaces by children. The systematic review of the Psychology literature was carried out in six databases and selected forty articles published between 1981-2017. The results pointed out that research in Psychology in this theme can be characterized in two distinct aspects: one focused on childhood predominantly as demanding care and protection, which leads to a discussion about the implications of urban spaces in child development; and another one focused on child as subject, excluded from negotiations on urban planning and whose participation should be promoted. The conclusions show the pertinence of analysis of the complexity in the interaction between the different aspects involved, multi-method designs, and interdisciplinarity.</p>