The Power of Culture in City Planning focuses on human diversity, strengths, needs, and ways of living together in geographic communities. The book turns attention to the anthropological definition of culture, encouraging planners in both urban and cultural planning to focus on characteristics of humanity in all their variety. It calls for a paradigm shift, re-positioning city planners’ “base maps” to start with a richer understanding of human cultures. Borrup argues for cultural master plans in parallel to transportation, housing, parks, and other specialized plans, while also changing the approach of city comprehensive planning to put people or “users” first rather than land “uses” as does the dominant practice. Order online…

“Tom has written one of the most thoughtful books on how to think, plan and act culturally. This helps us reimagine how to create great cities that go with the grain of who they are and their local distinctiveness. And that in the end gives them strength and personality” -Charles Landry (inventor of the creative city concept, one of leading thinkers on cultural planning, and author of The Creative City and The Art of City Making)