Science & the City

One could plausibly argue that science is both everywhere and nowhere in the city, depending on how one thinks of the city itself. Without getting into an overly detailed debate (with myself) about the character of scientific inquiry -- that will follow shortly -- let me make some general observations about the general nature of science and technology in the twentieth century.

The greatest successes of science of the 20th century occurred in physics and biology, respectively. Physics altered our fundamental perception of the universe, including the relationship of energy, matter and space-time, and biology altered our conception of ourselves as a species, and as a species among other species. At the beginning of the 21st century, it is indisputable that there is no aspect of human life that is unchanged by science and technology.

Though cities have always been crucial incubators and beneficiaries of advances in science and technology, particularly in the case of agriculture, it is not always clear where science and technology interact with the city, if only because the city appears to be a product of human, rather than natural, processes. Cities are artifacts of human intentions and systems, and as such, seem to be independent of otherwise fundamentally natural processes, such as the weather, geology, or geography.

As different as cities appear today, what is it about cities and city life that is recognizable throughout these scientific revolutions and technological changes? How can we encourage the qualities of city life, that is, urbane living? And how can science -- ranging from the natural to the social sciences -- help us do this?