urban places

the relationship between culture & place

This section explores the symbiotic relationship between culture and the built environment, from its historic roots to todays globalised and internationalised cities.

As a reaction to globalisation, we are seeing alternative approaches to ideas about city making, such as the notion of the “Human Centred City” and the “Intercultural City”. The Intercultural City for example is seen as an inclusive concept concerned with addressing all members of society in a ‘single diverse public not multiple publics which are organisationally and socially separate’ (Jude Bloomfield and Franco Bianchini, 2004: 39).

One aspect of Planning Culturally challenges today’s planners and designers to create contemporary buildings and spaces that are referential to a cities rich historic urban form.

Planning Culturally is particularly relevant in contemporary Australia with its highly urbanised and diverse population, overlaid on a living ‘Culture’ reaching back more than 60,000 years. Since the early days of settlement, the evolving cities were dominated by a European world view and the planning systems have largely perpetuated the European approach to planning. Ed Wensing and Libby Porter (2016) argue that this colonial planning history ‘holds important implications for contemporary planning and its relations with Aboriginal people who have continuously sought to secure a future based on their continuing relationships with their country’ (2016: 91).

SPACES OR PLACES

When considering the question of space or place we need to consider the critical role of Placemaking in urban development and revitalisation projects. William Neill in his 2004 book, Urban Planning and Cultural Identity, suggests that space may be distinguished from place in that the latter involves the assignment of symbolic meaning to objects. He goes on to state that it is difficult to think of space that is not a place of some kind, since it will be designated with meaning of one sort or another within some culture frame (Neill, W. 2004:11).

We must also acknowledge the challenge for planners and designers working to create places that speak of diverse individuals and complex societies especially when working with First Nations People to address their aspirations and their historical tradition and seek ways in partnership with these communities to preserve these essential qualities within the complicated functions and movements of the city world. While at the same time recognising the deep cultural association to ‘Country’ that First Nations Peoples have, as encapsulate in the saying the ‘Country’ ‘Always was, always will be’. This is highly relevant to contemporary urban planning in Australia.

The Discussion Paper explores the importance of understanding the differences between urban spaces and urban places. Cities all around the world are made up of a complex network of public and private land between the buildings and infrastructure that are often interchangeably described as “spaces” or “places”. Other headings explored include: Place: Form & Function; and Place: Public or Private.

Discussion Paper 1:

Spaces or Places

A CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE

Cities are an extremely complex mixture of needs, such as centres of humanity that provide safety, sustainability and community, they are centres of commerce, education and politics, and or course are physical constructs of space, place and infrastructure resulting from the work of a diverse range of built environment professionals. Among those are the planning and design professions who have such an impact on the look and feel of our cities.

The discourse on urban planning and city making include from thinkers and writers such as, (Louis Mumford, 1938 & 1961), (Peter Hall, 1988 & 1998), (Jane Jacobs 1992), (James Howard Kunstler, 1994 & 2003), (Henri Lefebvre, 1996), (Eduardo Lozano, 1990) (Hugh Stretton, 2001), and Richard Sennett, (2018). Mumford, Hall and Lozano provide insights into the evolution of cities and discuss the forces that have influenced their physical form and culture.

As a result of globalisation, it is not only the cultural diversity of our cities that is being affected but also there is a noticeable ‘sameness’ in many urban places, there is a sameness about the internationalisation of contemporary architecture and the proliferation of ‘brand’ retailing etc.

This Discussion Paper will explore an extensive range of academic and professional literature relating to the history and evolution of urban planning and city making, consider the state of our cities, urban diversity, globalisation and the built environment and the concept of Cultural Icons. The paper's headings include: The evolution of Cities & their Cultures; The State of our Cities; Urban Diversity; Globalisation & the Built Environment: Place Authenticity; Cultural Icons: Build it and they will come; and The Built Environment & Culturally Diverse communities.

Discussion Paper 2:

Cultural Perspective

CULTURE & CITIES

The concept of ‘Culture of Cities’ is referring to a “complex whole” as exemplified by and informing the work of UNESCO’s Human Centred Cities program. Whereas the notion of ‘Cultural Cities’ encompasses cultural expression which includes cultural activities such as the arts, particularly variation of Public Art and cultural assets such as tangible and intangible heritage. To achieve the “complex whole” requires Culturally Literate built environment professionals in order to deliver culturally appropriate urban form that is relevant to an increasingly culturally diverse world. This need is especially important in Australia, where the ABS 2016 census statistics show 29% of the population were born overseas.

In a possible response to the current global and transformative pressures brought about by globalisation and rational planning approaches, the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) have initiated a Human-centred City report. The UNESCO Human-Centred Cities initiative positions people and their cultures at the centre of, and therefore influencing, all aspects of urban development and the lives lived within these constructed environments. As proposed by UNESCO culture can be seen as a fundamental dimension of the urban development process and can help to strengthen the identity of places.

This Discussion Paper seeks to better understand why we need to plan culturally and addresses why we need to understand the culture of cities! Firstly, the discussion will explore the different interpretations of ‘Culture & Cities’ including the notion of the ‘Culture of Cities’ vis a vis ‘Cultural Cities’. The concepts of the Human-Centred City, the Intercultural City, and Everyday Intercultural Encounters will also be reviewed.

Discussion Paper 3:

Culture & Cities

WHY PLAN CULTURALLY?

In this section we will explore the question, why do we need to be Planning Culturally in our Culturally diverse cities, or perhaps more importantly asking the question why have we stopped Planning Culturally? Throughout history the built environment was influenced by local cultural life, the buildings and layout of urban settlements responded to the needs of the community’s cultural way of life, its values, customs and of course responsive to the climate and geography.

If we accept that all our actions have a cultural dimension to it, then every time we design or plan, we do so from a cultural perspective. More importantly all of our planning and design decisions will have either a positive or negative impact upon the diverse communities who use the resulting public spaces or buildings. Therefore, we need built environment professionals who can Plan Culturally in a deliberative manner with an awareness of the potential outcomes within a cultural frame of reference.

To Plan Culturally is not about a cultural pastiche of traditional urban forms, or ‘cultural cross-dressing’, that is sticking a faux frontage on an existing building stock. This approach can serve a function in many cities as defining an area with a concentration of a particular cultural group and contributing to city marketing and tourism.

This Discussion paper will explore the importance of culture in urban development, revitalisation and economic development and makes the argument for the concept of Planning Culturally. Headings in this paper include: Planning Culture; Culture in Urban & Economic Development; Planning Culturally Maters; Culture & Gentrification;

Discussion Paper 4:

Why Plan Culturally