The significance of culture for social sustainability – a discussion of cultural security and insecurity in neighbourhoods

Abstract

Creating a socially sustainable city will often encompass strategies to ensure that the different communities are “cohesive” and that the many neighbourhoods are diverse to prevent residential segregation. However, the literature on diverse communities and urban diversity has detailed processes of avoidance, exclusion, and friction as well as addressed the coping mechanisms that some residents develop. In this paper, we analyse ethnographic data from Oslo, Norway, with the aim to contribute to the research on neighbourhood social sustainability and residential preferences. It is claimed that to understand such preferences, the concepts of cultural security and cultural insecurity are useful. People’s interest in “culture” may pose a challenge to policy makers’ visions for socially sustainable urban development.