A set of beliefs. Living in the city depends upon a set of assumptions and rules, thrills and fears, which we live with. Economic, creative and cultural activities are all centered here. A place of the spectacular. A city's culture is everything that happens there, from official concerts in great halls to the skateboarders playing on the hall steps, from shoppers to shoplifters, and from transport policies to a drunken fight in the bus queue.
Diversity is at the heart of city life.
Different cultures living side by side. Affluence and deprivation. Alongside the growth of organised, corporate cities we see the corresponding growth in resistance to the dominant city culture, in graffitti art, squatting, alternative lifestyles and personal presentations. These inevitably may affect our own thinking about cities. Living in a city is important if you want to feel at the heart of things.