IN-PERSON London. Section B

Abstract

What makes cities liveable also depends on their specific characteristics. By special features of cities, we do not just mean a special user experience as proclaimed in city marketing. Rather, we understand the special features of cities as a negotiation process of historical, political, social and everyday practical circumstances that are inscribed in the identity of the city and staged by the citizens. We see the analysis of the particularities of cities as central to understanding the possibilities and limits of administrative, economic and social action. In our contribution, we would like to take a sociological and political science perspective on the significance of image campaigns, urban identities and the characteristics of cities and make it fruitful for the analysis of civic engagement and citizen participation. Our study focuses on medium-sized German cities with a population of between 20,000 and 100,000 inhabitants. We choose medium-sized cities in the understanding that they have a special identity that often leads to a particularly strong identification with the city and region for their inhabitants. This identification of the citizens with their place has an impact on the organizational structures, the collective identity and the connection of the citizens with their place. It also has an impact on trust in administrative processes and an influence on social cohesion in the city.