Civic culture in the new city

A street corner in Hoi An's old town. Photo: DANG KE DUC

The merger of administrative units into a unified city, creating a NEW DA NANG, will have a profound impact on the socio -economic and cultural structure of the entire "Quang Nam region," while also giving rise to many challenges, especially significant changes in urban culture.

Nuclear diffusion

Da Nang is a centrally-governed city, developing in a modern way and oriented towards internationalization. Its urban character is increasingly affirmed: from the early 2000s to the present, Da Nang has been a major center for tourism and services.

The infrastructure is developing rapidly and comprehensively, with many public spaces and opportunities for international cultural exchange. The population is increasing rapidly in both quantity and quality, and urban characteristics are becoming increasingly evident (public behavior, services, discipline, etc.). It is a "livable city," as envisioned and assessed by many residents and tourists.

Quang Nam is an agricultural and fishing province with diverse topography ranging from mountains and plains to coastal seas and islands. Infrastructure development is not yet synchronized, and rural cultural institutions are predominantly village-based.

The population mainly lives in rural areas or small towns, with a strong sense of community. The cultural traditions of "Quang Nam" are distinctive and enduring. Many unique and famous heritage sites exist: My Son, Hoi An, Cham Island, pottery, woodworking, and silk weaving villages, and the cultural region of the Thu Bon River basin…

The new city of Da Nang is essentially still the space and people of "Quang Nam province," sharing a common history of formation and development (despite several mergers and separations), a common "Quang Nam personality," and many distinctive cultural elements such as language and cuisine. This "scientific basis" provides a significant advantage over many other localities in the merger process.

With the vision of Da Nang becoming a major economic, service, and tourism center, the city will develop its urban culture more rapidly, both "tangible and intangible": it will have the material conditions to build infrastructure such as roads with sidewalks, green spaces, public transportation, new urban areas, or renovate old residential areas to be more convenient and hygienic… It will also build urban cultural institutions (such as cinema complexes, theaters, libraries, cultural centers…) in the current rural areas.

Infrastructure is a prerequisite for building a sense of "urban civilization" among the people. Urbanization and modernization are also current development trends, but if properly guided and with a city with a strong "brand" like Da Nang as a nucleus for spreading urban cultural elements, this process will be smooth and develop in the right direction.

Adapting to a new living space

Any urbanization process involves "cultural conflict," most clearly manifested in urban culture.

Should Da Nang's urban culture be developed in the direction of harmonious urban culture? Photo: NM

Urban culture aims to build and develop modern citizenship with a professional administration, a "digital government and citizenry." Therefore, rural areas that preserve village culture, clan traditions, folk beliefs, etc., need to transform to adapt to the new social environment and living space.

It's a new lifestyle in a crowded, diverse urban environment, with a "business-like" schedule, adapting to urban habits such as punctuality, quietness, maintaining cleanliness in public places, and respecting individuality in apartment buildings and new urban areas...

City dwellers are accustomed to urban lifestyles such as queuing, punctuality, not littering, living in friendly apartment buildings without prying into private lives, modern communication, using public transportation, and being familiar with immigration.

However, some traditional cultural elements are fading somewhat, such as the habit of gathering, kinship ties, and family activities during ancestral commemorations and holidays. These are cultural aspects that are better preserved in rural areas, forming a bond between families and clans, creating a strong sense of "hometown solidarity" even far from home.

Urban cultural life is outward-oriented, interacting with diverse communities and embracing modern international culture. Rural cultural life, on the other hand, is inward-oriented, primarily involving interaction within kinship and the village community, focusing on organizing and maintaining local traditional culture…

Therefore, not only rural areas but also urban areas need more awareness and understanding, adjustments and changes to enhance genuine empathy and integration. Only then can there be a transformation in lifestyles and other cultural elements. At the same time, the two models of cultural life require different material conditions and institutions.

Therefore, without a strategy of adjustment and adaptation from both sides in a harmonious and objective manner, it can easily lead to the phenomenon of "urban assimilation of rural areas," erasing unique traditional values.

Conversely, "ruralization of urban areas" occurs in spaces that resemble urban areas but where life is rural, architecture and planning are chaotic, functions are unclear, identity is vague, urban "survival" skills are poor, and people feel alienated and not belong in the city they live in...

Harmonious urban culture

How can all the people of Da Nang feel proud to be citizens of a modern city, free from the constraints of traditional urban management? How can Da Nang's urban culture be both progressive and retain its Quang Nam identity? These are questions that the city's government and people need to find answers to through concerted efforts.

The appropriate trend is to build a "harmonious urban culture" that ensures Da Nang maintains its role as a modern center, while ancient cities like Hoi An and the new city of Tam Ky play a connecting role with the plains and mountainous regions, preserving traditional identities. Based on this, criteria for respecting cultural diversity should be established.

Preserving and integrating indigenous culture into new urban areas. Conserving and promoting traditional cultural values while adapting them to urban life. Simultaneously, building infrastructure and public cultural spaces, and cultural institutions to meet the specific needs of the local communities in each area.

We place particular emphasis on the role of the community in participating in the development, education, communication, and dissemination of urban culture, because more than anyone else, the community understands how to create urban culture from its own vibrant experiences.

The role of urban culture in urban development and in contributing to the creation and preservation of urban identity is undeniable. The behavioral and lifestyle orientations of residents will form the foundation for building a "civilized city" and a "civil society".

Urban culture, with its citizens as the main actors, is a resource for the development of the cultural and tourism industries, a crucial economic sector for cities in particular and the world in general in the 21st century.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/van-hoa-thi-dan-o-thanh-pho-moi-3298846.html