| Description |
The concept of the city is quite new in terms of human history and has evolved as fast as cities themselves. They are large expanses of built land, buildings, massive transport systems, universities, and a lot of services that cannot be found in the rural zones. Cities have become attractive since life in them is considered to be “better” than in rural areas. Then, migration to cities was reported, and such migration grew fast throughout the twentieth century. International migration is another phenomenon but similar to domestic migration, with similar motivations: better opportunities, better life conditions, or safety and protection. In other cases, cities absorbed rural zones because of fast growth, forcing people to adapt to new conditions. It could be said, in general terms, that cities are always the melting pot of their countries. In that sense, “adapt to the cities’ conditions” means that you have to behave as urban people do: to dress, eat, move, work… and talk. There are thousands of people with different cultural backgrounds inhabiting cities; some are native some are migrants, but they all need places to learn, teach, practice, and reproduce elements related to their intangible cultural heritage. This is an urbanistic challenge that has to be addressed in a city’s development plans as part of a comprehensive strategy to foster economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights for all its citizens. |
