Martina Löw – The Inherent Logic of

Cities
• Everyday knowledge about the character of cities
– but what is that based on?/ no theoretical
concept

• Study of Manchester and Sheffield supports the

idea that cities have an inherent logic that
reaches into all parts of life

• Topic of this presentation: How is the inherent

logic of cities conceptualized and how does it
function according to Löw?
Inherent Logic of Cities - Structure
• “Logic” does not refer to a rational law but to
hidden structures effective in cities
• The term “structure” in this context means
“rules and resources recursively embedded in
institutions” (Löw 40)1
• Rules: refer to the “constitution of meaning
and the sanctioning of action” (Löw 40)
• Resources: subdivided into material resources
and symbolic resources
1 This and all the following quotations are my own translations from German into English.
Inherent Logic of Cities - Structure
• these structures are dependent on place and
time rules and resources are specific to a city
(at a certain time)
• Duality of structures and action: “the rules and
resources that are involved in the production and
reproduction of social action also function as a
means for the reproduction of the system”
(Giddens 70)
• Depending on the existing rules and resources
certain actions are enabled while others are
excluded
 Löw: Doxa and Habitus
• inherent logic conceptualized as „place-specific
structures and their realization in Doxa and Habitus“
(Löw 49)
• Doxa is defined as “the self-evident, unquestioned,
natural view on the world“ (Berking 24)
• “städtische Doxa”:
• based on densification and heterogenization
• grounded in the structure of a city (resources, rules),
that “is realized in the way people speak as well as in
architecture, technology, city planning, clubs etc.” (Löw
42)
 Löw: Doxa and Habitus
• “Habitus” – practical understanding of a place,
expressed in our perception, action and
judgement
• “physical-cognitive inscription” (Löw 42) –
embodiment of the qualities of a city
• Example: the walking pace of people in
different cities, how people present
themselves on their Sunday afternoon stroll
 Inherent Logic of Cities and Social
Milieu
• Differences in the perception/interpretation of a
city depending on the social milieu?/ Are there
differences between e.g. taxi drivers and
university teachers?
• There are milieu-specific differences but all
shaped by structures of their city and reproduce
this structure
• E.g. taxi drivers in Berlin differ in their behavior
from taxi drivers in Stuttgart
inherent logic of city dominant enough to reach
into all social groups as well as subcultures
 How Does the Inherent Logic of Cities
Develop?
• 1. the individuality of a city develops on the basis
of experience and narratives motivated by the
history of the place
• 2. the individuality of a city develops in relation
to other cities
• Individual character of a city cannot be explained
solely by the historical dimension but also relies
on the comparisons and relationships between
cities (each city is part of a relational network)
 cities influence each other in their development
 Works Cited
• Berking, Helmut. „»Städte lassen sich an ihrem Gang erkennen wie
Menschen« – Skizzen zur Erforschung der Stadt und der Städte“. Die
Eigenlogik der Städte: Neue Wege für die Stadtforschung. Ed. Helmut
Berking, Martina Löw. Frankfurt: Campus, 2008.
• Giddens, Anthony. Die Konstitution der Gesellschaft : Grundzüge einer
Theorie der Strukturierung. 3rd ed. Frankfurt: Campus-Verlag, 1997.
• Löw, Martina. „Eigenlogische Strukturen –Differenzen zwischen Städten als
konzeptuelle Herausforderung“. Die Eigenlogik der Städte: Neue
Wege für die Stadtforschung. Ed. Helmut Berking, Martina Löw.
Frankfurt: Campus, 2008.