Fostering Urbanity in a Mobile Society: Linking Concepts and Practices

Fostering the distinctive qualities of cities, or ‘urbanity’, has been a continuing focus of urban design. However, the context has greatly changed: most notably, contemporary urban society is a highly mobile one, making it necessary to redefine urbanity, as well as the strategies to achieve it. This paper addresses this task in two steps. First, the aim of fostering urbanity is redefined as that of shaping spatial conditions conducive to diversity and exchange in the economic and in the socio-cultural sphere. Second, some concrete implications of this for urban design are explored. Experiences in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Naples, Italy, serve as illustration of the general argument.