The research paper that I am writing is on the effects that UNESCO’s “World Heritage Sites’ are having on an urban society. As I started to research the effectiveness of UNESCO’s program in the preservation of culture , I started to question the overall effect that it has on a city. It would occur to me that in the beginning of the semester we discussed Max Webber’s,Within nature of a City. During our discussion it was pointed out, that to be held as a modern definition, we had to include a few more ideas; culture being one of them.
What effect does culture have on a city?
Simply put, culture has many categories. It can be seen as historical, “pop”, artistic and even musical or theatrical. When one thinks of New York, they think about the Stature of Liberty, the cliché “I Love New York” t-shirts and Broadway. Paris has the Effel Tower, Berets, and The Louvre. These examples are stereotypical at best, but as a whole are used by society to paint an overall image of a city. Even when major cities advertise they attract tourists by using their different forms of culture as their main points. Instead of using their sustaining industries or economies.
Now let’s picture a city without culture. There would be no music, art, books, monuments, sculptures, museums, and the general knowledge of the past. Without it then we would be stuck in the present with only the future in mind. F. T. Marinetti, the writer of the Futurist Manifesto, would have seen this as heaven. With no culture we would be rather emotionless, almost robots in a sense. A city simply needs it just to keep going. Interpret how you like; culture within a city distracts us from the hardships that were and are still around us to this day.
Culture then allows a city to progress, and shine within the eyes of its surrounding urban areas; while allowing its past to live on. In conclusion, much like a first edition book missing its clear protective shell, culture is the missing book cover of Mark Weber’s city. Without it, his city would one day fall apart, while its value vastly diminished over time.
I believe that culture is expressed through the arts as you have pointed out, but isn’t our culture also displayed through the heavily industrialized and mechanized society that has been created? For example, our need to create large transportation networks, shopping malls, and large scale industrial complexes is in my mind reminiscent of the dominant Western capitalistic culture that exists. Culture, in the art-form is still found within these cities, but I guess my question is do you think our current organization of society allows for the same expression of culture that pre-industrialized societies displayed?
I think that this topic is fascinating especially because I have studied a wide variety of cultural history. To think of a city without culture seems impossible to me because of the way that it has become completely entrenched into out every day lives. I don’t know if you have a particular area of study you are focusing on but some great examples could be had in Latin America. Especially in Brazil with regards to Carnival, and the way that it has becomes as much a part of the city as the buildings themselves. When it comes to events like Carnival that have become such essential elements of a city I believe it impossible to separate culture from the city. This is just my opinion though I am interested to hear what others think and if they can think of a “cultureless” city.