THE IMAGINARY IN URBAN STUDIES

The article deals with the conceptualization of the notion “imaginary” in urban studies. The author analyzes the theoretical prerequisites for the formation of the concept “urban imaginary” and various options for its definition. She argues that the urban imaginary is significant for identifying the uniqueness of a particular inhabited place, understanding the cultural meanings associated with it, and the corresponding patterns of social behavior. The author shows that the urban imaginary is a set of representations of the city, that is, a complex of mental, figurative and symbolic representations of the urban environment. Such representations of the city can be individual and collective, textual and visual, subjective and fixed in cultural practices, attractive and repulsive. The urban imaginary in many ways anticipates and determines the actual perception of the city, influences the tactics of further human interaction with the urban space. In addition, the urban imaginary can act as a stimulus for the development of urban areas or, conversely, as a cause of their degradation and decline. It can serve as a way to attract tourists and new citizens, as well as the reason for the tourist unattractiveness of a place and an impulse for resident migration. The author discovers the origins of the theme of the urban imaginary in the concepts “social imaginary” and “geographical imaginary”. In these concepts, the focus of attention is shifted from the givenness of the object of study as some natural fact to its construction through mental, symbolic and figurative comprehension, which ultimately serves as a key tool for the production of society, the production of space, and the production of the city. The author also explores the significance of the urban imaginary in Christian culture and demonstrates that it plays a special role as a tool for conceptualizing, creating and transforming Christian urban spaces, and becomes one of the ways of demonstrating religious faith. In conclusion, the author argues that the urban imaginary has a significant impact on real urban pragmatics and allows citizens to realize their right to the city.

urban studies, urban imaginary, symbolic landscape, cultural meanings, social and spatial structures, city in Christianity, city as existential space, right to city