The Notions of Rationality and Modernity against the Perspective of the Different Cultural Backgrounds of the Urban People by Looking into Both Western and Non-Western Urban Development

Abstract

In the sphere of urban planning, most successful theories and notions are still based on the western way of thinking. If such ideas are introduced to non-western city planning and development, they do not work as successfully as they did in their western counterpart. The cause of such contradictions mostly lies in the cultural differences between western and non-western societies. The ideas of rationality and modernity are western in origin and many successful contemporary urban planning practices tend to rely on paradigms shaped by these. The recent trend of globalization is making cities more multicultural. Therefore, an intercultural factor is rising in both western and non-western urban planning practices in various forms and natures. This paper discusses urban planning and development practice’s various dilemmas between the notions of Rationality and Modernity against the perspective of the different cultural backgrounds of the urban people by examining both western and non-western cities and argues the necessity of thinking outside of conventional theories with more effective theories.