Peter Marcuse: City Planning Begins at ‘Home’
Columbia University professor of Urban Planning spoke to Berlin students in 2009.
BERLIN (February 2024) — Some 15 years ago, I attended a lecture at the Free University (Berlin) by Columbia University professor of Urban Planning Peter Marcuse (Cities for People, not for Profit).
Marcuse’s subject was "home," telling us the different ways that Americans apply the word. He nailed down three aspects of the term, ‘home’: 1) as a social concept; 2) as an individual distinction; and 3) as a market commodity.
The third, market-commodity definition is relatively easy: Americans speak of “home-owners” or “home-buyers" as a demographic, where the word "home" actually means "house." In the 20th century, at least, to Americans of a certain age/income, one’s "home" was one’s largest private investment. In larger terms, home-ownership has been a huge piece of the American economy, and US banking policies vis a vis property-owners has always played a major role there. This has been especially relevant since the 2008 US financial “meltdown," with millions of Americans having been pushed from their homes — and with immense global effects, also.
On an individual level however, said Marcuse, one's "home" is not just a physical house or apartment. For each of us, as individuals, the word “home” implies more of a personal feeling, involving our relationship to a place or particular space — as well as to others living around us.
Finally, as a social concept, "home" is something of a combination of the first two ideas. Marcuse described real social relationships or circumstances for one or more groups living in a place, collectively. “Homeland” is a good example here.
"This is our new home," says a family leader. “The terrorists attacked us ‘at home.’ ” [It is important to realize here, the urban planner reminds us, that one’s country or nation can be ‘homeland’ for both native-born residents and immigrants together.]
‘What kind of society would we be,
where everyone feels at home?’ - Peter Marcuse