Creating Ordinary Places: Slow Cities in a Fast World

摘要

This paper explores the interdependence between urban design and the social construction of place. Following the recent contribution to the discussion of sense of place, authenticity and character by Jiven & Larkham (Journal of Urban Design, vol. 8, 2003, pp. 67-81), it is suggested that architects, planners and urban designers should be attentive to the theoretical underpinnings that are relevant to place-making. The emphasis here is on the relationships between the pace of life and the capacity of urban settings to facilitate the routine encounters and shared experiences that underpin the intersubjectivity that, in turn, leads to the social construction of place. These issues are placed in the context of the 'fast world' of globalization and of grass-roots reaction to its consequences, as illustrated by the Slow City movement.