The Search for Cultural Identity Through Urban Design: The Case of Berkeley

Abstract

The often heterogeneous quality of our built environment reflects diverse identities in our society. Conflicts among values held by segments of the urban populace stand apparent in our towns and cities. My basic interest in this paper lies in evolving a basis for interpreting meaning in urban places and for developing a more equitable and socially fulfilling style of environmental design. At the core of this goal lies the task of understanding the sources of identity in environments of differing kinds and scales on the part of a broad cross section of users.