Abstract
Political and economic aspects are shaping the built environment and transform the socio-cultural organization of the cities. Cities play an essential role in expanding the opportunities for economic growth, innovation and social development; at the same time, they are also platform for poverty and threats. Thus, it is important to understand the logic of the dynamic processes and continuous changes in the cities, in order to transform these threats into opportunities. Therefore, policies and practices should corporate to create new vision that recognize the city as a realm of play (Stevens 2007), tourism, business, and opportunities (UNEP 2009), then try to balance between different aspects in creating the future identity of the city. Urban identity serves as well to distinguish the city in the global competition by creating a distinct image, and attracting investors and tourists. The image of the city, like all other negotiated settings, cannot be praised as an esthetic container alone. It is in that juggling act between private interests and the public goods, supervised by the community (Kostof 2009). This paper discusses the changing in socio-cultural identity, its causes and effects. First, it presents various perspectives for the meaning of identity as an important tool in the city development, then it describes the transformation in identity and its effects on socio-cultural context, and finally it provides strategies to govern the city and its uniqueness. The transformation in the identity of Amman city and its effects will be analyzed as a case study.
Author Information
Bushra Zalloom, Birmingham City University, United Kingdom
Mohsen Aboutorabi, Birmingham City University, United Kingdom
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