*4.2.2 City and a moral requirement*

Building a relationship with a city is like when you are in a relationship with someone—just as cities can be generous or inspirational, so can they be dangerous and impenetrable. The city is a moral universe in which helpfulness is extended beyond kinsfolk to strangers. In a modern city, public institutions aspire to provide solace or uplift to all, often with a cool efficiency that is rewarding in its way as is the warmth usually credited to small communities. A close reading of the city scene reveals inconspicuous artifacts of consideration such as telephone booths and wheelchair ramps on sidewalks that symbolize the principles of communication and

**15**

*City Phenomenon between Urban Structure and Composition*

access [16]. It is required to feel the city in order to understand it. He does not tell us how to do this, but he shows us how to walk the streets with eyes wide open so we

As Lynch says: "the city is in itself the powerful symbol of a complex society" [17]. To understand the different actions of people in the city, the changes that occur in the city, the gratifications and dissatisfactions of the inhabitants, and the diversity of ways of life in the city requires a wealth of information and data. Urban researchers are trying to obtain such data through various methods. These methods

• Quantitative—methods for obtaining information focused on a particular topic, from a large number of people (e.g., population census, opinion barom-

• Qualitative—methods for obtaining rich information from a small number of

Public place represents, by its nature and destination, an area accessible to the public even if no person is present; any place accessible to the public, the main features chosen by the public spaces consist in the fact that they are public (not private), they have free access and are used by several people in a common area. Public spaces have played an important role throughout history. From the time that humans first defined private spaces, public spaces have served as places where people have come together to exchange ideas, becoming centers for free speech and

The social order is one of the most difficult concepts to explain, related to social life: how it is formed, how it is preserved, how it is challenged, and how it is violated—all these are questions on which thousands have written, in books and studies. Of course, there are exceptions and special occasions; there are times when the social order is challenged or violated, such as during a street carnival or during street riots. Social researchers have always been interested in the ways in which people come to accept or challenge or violate this order. In addition, they were interested in the ways and conditions in which this order is changed or negotiated, between groups located in opposite positions. It is important to remember that social researchers are trying to understand the views, motives, and visions of all people, without judging them and dividing them into "bad people" and "good people." It is the role of the legal system to decide whether certain facts that violate the social order are to be condemned and which is the proper conviction. On the other hand, the legal system adapts to the social changes produced over time, precisely because of the individuals who challenge the social order. For example, the slave trade was legal in the nineteenth century, while it is now illegal; women's voting was illegal in Switzerland until the 1970s and is now legal. The social order is strong but flexible over time. The social order is not an immutable concept, the meanings of which never change; on the contrary, it is a concept in permanent transformation or negotiation. Therefore, social researchers look at respecting, challenging, or violating the urban social order first and foremost as a proof of the

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90443*

can explore everything the city has to offer.

of obtaining data fall into two categories:

eters, electoral surveys, etc.)

diversity of urban ways of life.

**5. Public spaces in city function**

people

*4.2.3 City and a need for social*

**Figure 1.** *City design and the three-polar meaning.*

access [16]. It is required to feel the city in order to understand it. He does not tell us how to do this, but he shows us how to walk the streets with eyes wide open so we can explore everything the city has to offer.
