The City of Grace by David Wadley

Author:David Wadley
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789811511127
Publisher: Springer Singapore

Social Function

Ends

To support its economic trajectory and, functioning effectively as an intentional community, The City of Grace will need not only steadfast political foundations, but also the creation of a particular culture involving a civil society and enduring forms of social capital so that its citizens experience Giddens’ (1984) ontological security and Holt’s (2007, 2) ‘neighborliness.’ Following Europe’s first urban psychology summit in London in June 2019, these concepts today contribute to a ‘therapeutic city’ (Boyle et al. 2019). Its authenticity should avoid ‘anxiety,’ caused by a lack of cohesion and shared purpose (Sturgess 1999; Williams 2004, 19). At the base level, it will, with Shaftesbury and Weil, disavow many pretensions of ego and individualism (luxuria and superbia) applauded today in the West, and look instead to Kjellberg’s (2000, 142) humility and Diwan’s (2000) relational wealth23 as lodestones toward a quality of life. Contesting the neoliberal trajectory, the most expansive and ironic aim would be to allow people to live in a society, rather than an economy (Baldwin 1995, 32; Dufour 2008), one which offers some certainty as against the tribulations of titanic and mindless expansion.

Beyond physical beauty, grace connotes love (Daujat 1959, 11). Within macro-urban social function, it should manifest as harmony and kindliness, in line with the City’s baselines of personal utility and social welfare. Theological or ideological régimes demanding strict observances risk a life of submission and limited agency, both of which can sap initiative. More modest secular happiness which does not disadvantage others would suffice.24 In this connection, John Friedmann (2002, 110–11) identifies a foundation of a ‘good’ city, namely, that each inhabitant has the opportunity fully to develop his or her intellectual, physical and spiritual capabilities. This criterion supplements the quest for utility, corroborates the thrust of Maslow’s hierarchy, supports the intrinsic motivation of self-determination theory, and complements Diwan’s theorizing. It implies broad access to educational and other formative systems. It also presumes that inhabitants blend the common focus with a commitment to each other and to the City at large. In this way, grace can manifest in Schopenhauer’s idealistic freedom from dissonance and disorder, and facets of gratitude and thankfulness could emerge.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.