Skip to content
CityLab
Housing

Cities Don’t Have Souls. Why Do We Battle For Them?

What do we mean when we say that the “soul of the city” is under threat? Often, it’s really about politics, nostalgia, and the fear of community change.
Tourists pose before the iconic skyline of San Francisco. Not seen: the city's soul.
Tourists pose before the iconic skyline of San Francisco. Not seen: the city's soul.Robert Galbraith/Reuters
By
Scott Lucas

Here’s a pop quiz. What do each of these have in common? The New York Yankees winning the 1977 World Series. A public art project in Enid, Oklahoma. The “bush-clad hills” around Canberra, Australia. The Champions League final in Spain. “Hyper-gentrification” in New York City.

Each one of these things is a “battle for the soul” of its city.