Toward the Healthy City, Article Review Example

Toward the Healthy City: People, Places,and the Politics of Urban Planning.

‘A relational view of place emphasizes that the physical and social characteristics in spaces matter for well-being…’ (Coburn, 2000, p. 2). The author is writing this piece in my opinion to sensitize social planners that people have a cultural adaptation of space. It may even go beyond structure, but the how it feels to be within that space. Consequently, in promoting the healthy city phenomenon considerations interrelating people with places in the politics of urban planning is essential in achieving states of well-being for people and cities they occupy (Coburn, 2000).

Further, the author expressed in advancing the assumption that people’s orientation to place and space are valuable considerations in urban planning that features of space and place must not be separated from diverse meaning people have of them depending on their cultural orientation. Subsequently, these same features can operate as barriers to the healthy city philosophy (Coburn, 2000).

‘Healthy places ought to be doubly constructed; (the buildings…..)and socially (assigning meanings……)’(Coburn, 2000, p. 2).  This statement has intrigued me being a sequel tomajor interpretation of what urban planning ought to achieve. So often planners arrive at decisions regarding space and place which is not culturally compatible for the populations they offer (Coburn, 2000).

Ultimately, buildings are destroyed because people could not identify with their significance as being meaningful to their culture. As such, this statement is very important in understanding failure of many community projects meeting the satisfaction of populations they serve(Coburn, 2000).

References

Coburn, J. (2000).Toward the Healthy City: People, Places, and the Politics of Urban Planning. MIT Press