Spatiality of Multiculturalism Spatiality of Multiculturalism MOHAMMAD SARRAF Doctoral Thesis KTH Royal Institute of Technology School of Architecture and the Built Environment Department of Urban Planning and Environment SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden Doctoral Thesis Planning and Decision Analysis with specialisation in Urban and Regional Studies KTH Royal Institute of Technology School of Architecture and the Built Environment Department of Urban Planning and Environment Division of Urban and Regional Studies www.kth.se © MOHAMMAD SARRAF, 2015 TRITA SoM 2015-06 ISSN 1654-2754 ISNR KTH/SoM/ 2015-06/SE ISBN 978-91-7595-595-7 Abstract Multiculturalism, as a set of ideas and policies, is one of the normative approaches to the current situation of cultural diversity in multicultural cities. But how can the ideas of multiculturalism be translated into the reality of urban form? The overall aim of this dissertation is to provide a theoretical and conceptual frame of reference for distilling and identifying the ideas of multiculturalism which can be translated into spatial form, and in this way, to highlight the role urban form may play in addressing the situation of living ‘together-in-difference’. In this study, the relation between the materiality of urban form and the political framework of multiculturalism is at the core of the discussion. In its exploration into multiculturalism, the thesis identifies theoretical lacunae in explaining the spatial dimensions of multiculturalism. To be able to discuss multiculturalism in urban form terms, the dissertation chooses the position of a ‘civility of indifference’, developed by Amin (2012), as one of many possible stances within this discourse as an operative conception for such an exercise. Adopting the logical argumentation as the research strategy, the thesis delves deep into the conceptual domain mapped by space syntax theory as a primary system in this endeavour, and accordingly, describes how the spatial form of the city, by way of human movement, has the potential to create a variety of social groupings. Thereupon the thesis develops a secondary conceptual system with explanatory applicability to the relation between multiculturalism and spatial form. Supported by these systems of argumentation, the study describes how the spatial morphology of the city may have influence on the situation of living together. It is suggested that overlapping spaces represent the spaces where urban structure potentially can provide the spatial viability for the emergence of a ‘civility of indifference’ and its two organizing principles of co-presence and multiplicity. Hence, the dissertation intends to contribute to theoretical efforts into the experience of living ‘together-in-difference’ from architectural and urban design perspectives, and argues that multiculturalism distinctly possesses spatial dimensions, which should be conceptualized and addressed through the theoretical lens of spatial form. Hence, the thesis defends that notwithstanding being a complex of social processes, the spatial dimensions of multiculturalism should not be belittled in efforts to address the situation of living together in the multicultural cities of the West. Keywords: spatial form, multiculturalism, ‘civility of indifference’, co-presence, multiplicity, overlapping spaces, ‘together-in-difference’. Sammanfattning1 Multikulturalism i form av en uppsättning idéer och politiska riktlinjer är en av de normativa strategierna för att beskriva den nuvarande situationen med kulturell mångfald i mångkulturella städer. Men hur kan idéer om multikulturalism överföras till verklighetens stadsplanering? Avhandlingens övergripande syfte är att ge en teoretisk och begreppsmässig referensram som kan användas för att destillera fram och identifiera de idéer inom multikulturalism som kan överföras till rumslig form och att därigenom belysa den betydelse den urbana formen kan ha för möjligheterna att leva "together-in- difference". Det centrala för denna studie är förhållandet mellan den konkreta urbana formen och multikulturalismens politiska ramverk. Genom att utforska multikulturalismen visar avhandlingen på en teoretisk lakun när det gäller att förklara multikulturalismens rumsliga dimensioner. Som ett redskap för att diskutera multikulturalism i urban form används i avhandlingen begreppet "civility of indifference" som en alternativ strategi för att leva tillsammans. I avhandlingen används logisk argumentation som forskningsstrategi för en djupgående analys av det begreppsområde som primärt kartläggs med rumssyntaktisk teori. Metoden används därmed för att beskriva hur stadens rumsliga form genom sin inverkan på människors rörelser har potential att skapa en mångfald av sociala grupperingar. Vidare utvecklas i avhandlingen ett sekundärt begreppsmässigt system med förklaringsförmåga när det gäller förhållandet mellan multikulturalism och rumslig form. Studien beskriver hur stadens rumsliga morfologi kan påverka människors sätt att leva tillsammans. Det föreslås att overlapping spaces representerar platser där den urbana strukturen har potential att erbjuda tillräcklig rumslig bärkraft för att "civility of indifference" ska kunna växa fram tillsammans med de två organiserande principerna co-presence och multiplicity. Avhandlingen är tänkt att bidra till den teoretiska kunskapen om erfarenheten av att leva "together-in-difference" ur arkitekturens och stadsplaneringens perspektiv. Tesen är att multikulturalism har rumsliga dimensioner som bör konceptualiseras och hanteras med hjälp av rumslig teori. Avhandlingen för fram tesen att multikulturalism visserligen utgörs av ett komplex av sociala processer men att dess rumsliga dimensioner inte bör förringas när det gäller att hantera människors sätt att leva tillsammans i västvärldens mångkulturella städer. Nyckelord: rumslig form, multikulturalism, “civility of indifference”, co- presence, multiplicity, overlapping spaces, ’together-in-difference’. 1 - Translation of Abstract from English by Semantix.se Contents Acknowledgment ........................................................................................... 9 Chapter One: Introduction ................................................................................ 11 City: a state of cultural diversity ................................................................. 11 Research aim and questions ........................................................................ 18 Research approach ...................................................................................... 19 Outline of the thesis .................................................................................... 29 About the licentiate thesis ........................................................................... 31 Chapter Two: Multiculturalism ......................................................................... 33 Introduction ................................................................................................ 33 Multiculturalism: a set of ideas and politics ............................................... 34 ‘Together-in-difference’: discussing space in political theory .................... 39 ‘Interculturalism’: an urban planning approach to multiculturalism .......... 42 ‘Civility of Indifference’: Amin’s alternative politics of living together .... 58 ‘Co-presence’ and ‘Multiplicity’: two organizing principles ...................... 61 Closing Words ............................................................................................ 64 Chapter Three: Urban Form and Living ‘Together-in-Difference’ ................. 67 Introduction ................................................................................................ 67 City and culture .......................................................................................... 69 Spatial frame of reference ........................................................................... 73 Space-society relation ................................................................................. 76 Space as social behaviour ........................................................................... 80 Non-correspondence space-society ............................................................. 83 Linking multiculturalism to urban form ..................................................... 88 Closing words ............................................................................................. 99 Chapter Four: Overlapping Spaces ............................................................... 101 Introduction ............................................................................................... 101 Social grouping – spatial demarcation ...................................................... 105 Overlapping in spatial structure ................................................................ 111 Spatial pervasiveness ................................................................................ 117 Related theories and concepts ................................................................... 122 Closing words ........................................................................................... 128 Chapter Five: Spatial Multiculturalism .......................................................... 133 Spatial structure of community fluidity .................................................... 135 Visible spaces of marginality .................................................................... 148 Adaptable spaces of otherness .................................................................