Summary Of The Essence Of City, By Erik Rutherford

The essence of what a city is, is complicated as it includes various components and can be interpreted in numerous ways. Erik Rutherford argues that the essence of a city is its physical landscape. He elaborates that cities have a bi-directional relationship with the populace. Cities are moulded by their inhabitants, however they tend to resist the mould imposed on them which in turn shapes the populace. For instance, Paris has a carefully crafted aesthetic that requires its inhabitants to conform to its image. Rutherford writes: “Paris completes us, making up for what we lack as individuals by turning us into citizens - public property.” Furthermore, every symbol, monument and building embodies the values as well as the history of France. With it’s rich history and strong national identity, Paris is already so …show more content…
Streets don’t follow a certain aesthetic, instead they are shaped by their inhabitants. This diverse environment may be attributed to Canada being a young country and also being influenced by Toronto’s multicultural population. Although Rutherford appreciates it’s diverse environment, Toronto fails to have a strong unified identity. The essence of Toronto is its physical landscape, however since it is so diverse, it doesn’t have a strong personal aesthetic. Therefore Toronto may not be as appealing in terms of its physical landscape in comparison to Paris which does have a strong identity. Although ideally having the ability to shape one’s city is appealing, it can also be problematic since the city’s identity becomes even more confusing and ambiguous. Moreover, Rutherford’s definition of the essence of what a city is only includes one aspect of what constitutes a city. On the contrary, John Lorinc’s definition of a city encompasses a broader scope of attributes. Canadian cities have certain common characteristics such as being inclusive, being economically dynamic and having a safe