Ali Cheshmehzangi - Identity of Cities and City of Identities

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The quest for identity is multiplexed, intricate, and interminable. In this book,Identity of Cities and City of Identities, we offer comprehensive knowledge on the topic of urban identity through a range of examples of multiple spatial levels, dimensions, and processes. There exists numerous (individual) research in the field of urban identity, but none that puts together a wide-ranging knowledge of the topic in a book like this. In here, we question identity from its multiple attributes and delve into influences of place on people and people on place.

We explore humanistic measures of urban identity and how they are ultimately formed, restored, enhanced, and exported. In seeking to explore these matters, we address a number of questions: What is the role of urban identity in defining cities and city environments? How are urban identities formed? What makes a place, a peoples place? What makes a city distinctive? What makes a place different? How does urban identity impact the image of the place? What effect does the identity of place have on peoples perceptual, social, and behavioural patterns? What forms an identifiable place or city? To what extent are urban designers involved in urban identity development? Does every place and city have its own identity? How do we experience cities and places through the power of identity? Does urban identity matter? Furthermore, at the end of each chapter, there are several questions that require you, as the reader, to explore further beyond the discussions of the book. Hence, by learning from multiple examples, we aim to cover both existing research and innovative initiatives and directions of the urban identity mainstream.

While we try to attempt to provide coverage of everything in urban identity, there is still room for more knowledge, more discussions, and viewpoints, as well as more examples on cities, places and people. Here, we cover a range of global examples, demonstrating differences in cultures, people, locales, traditions, planning, design, and social values. More importantly, we address how places evolve, how cities redevelop, and how peoples perceptions adapt to those ceaseless transformations. It is also important to appreciate the multiplicity of urban identities in urban design theory and practice, and how they can refine, revive and sometimes redevelop better quality places in the form of innovations and strategies.

This is more of personal research than those types you seek external funding for. This book is developed in two phases. First, during the period the author worked on his doctoral research at the University of Nottingham, UK, on the topic of reviving urban identities. In this phase, much of the contemporary literature from earlier works of the 1950s onwards were extracted from multiple sources. Through studies of temporary urbanism and place making, the research work was reinforced from both theoretical and practical knowledge of urban design. These then developed into a few sub-research programmes with several publications in the field of urban identity. Second, during the period the author realised, through his visits to many cities and places around the globe, the ever-increasing need for urban identity. Simple as that, the need was so significant that urged to make this book happen. Thus, the narrative of the book reflects on the realities around us; those realities that are important to our everyday places, everyday people, and everyday life. As an urbanist, we observe cities and places through experiences. Hence, we reflect on people and places, to develop a range of ideas and strategies for making peoples places.

As we continuously globalise, we believe there is a definite need to not only explore the topic of urban identity, but to start finding ways of making peoples places that are identifiable, liveable, and all-inclusive. The more we travel in this quest for identity, the more we shall realise who we are and where we belong.

I drafted the structure of this book a few times, in 2012, 2015, 2018, and finally in summer 2019. It was only with the tranquility ofElm Streetand its calm view of allotments under the morning sun that I intuited the right vibe and started writing this book in July 2019.

I owe a special debt of gratitude to Tim Heath, Paul Nathanail, and Stephen Platt for their precious advice and constructive comments at the first phase of this work. I thank Zena French, Steven Morant, and Tony Pearson, for their direct and indirect support at different periods in the last two decades. I acknowledge NSFC for their funding (project number:71850410544) that was used for the provision of materials for the book. And I thank those who effortlessly work on urban identity research and making peoples places.