Civic culture
The civic culture concept goes back to Almond and Verba’s study on political culture and the role of participants[1]. They categorized and identified three ideal types of ‘pure’ political culture types (parochial/subject/participant). Civic culture is understood to mix the ideal elements of each. Commonly considered cultural aspects in urban planning relate to providing for coexistence of commerce and civic culture and to ‘building in’ space for the fine arts and public ‘cultural’ plain (e.g. parks as open museums).
The use of civic culture in addressing security related urban planning
- reduces inequality and social tension;
- incorporates the knowledge, productivity, social and physical capital of the poor in city development;
- increases local ownership of development processes and programmes.[2]
Or vice versa: if unaddressed, social inequalities and tension can arise/grow and result in anti-social or criminal behaviour.
Approaches how to address it
- Involve citizens in planning process;
- Involve different parties and interest groups;
- Encourage locals to express their needs and expectations/requests.
- Include culture aspects in assessing criticality of infrastructure and requirements to protect critical infrastructure.
Footnotes and references
- ↑ Almond, G. A./Verba, S. (1963): The Civic Culture: Political Attitudes and Democracy in Five Nations. University of Princeton Press: Princeton, NJ.
- ↑ United Nations UN Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT): Inclusive and Sustainable Urban Planning: A Guide for Municipalities. In: UNON Publishing Service Section, 2007, Volume 1, p. 20.
