Aesthetic Values in the Maintenance of Urban Technologies

Abstract

How technologies make cities look and feel is not a question that is often asked. We take the presence and state of various types of technologies in the urban lifeworld largely for granted. Urban technologies can become even emblematic of cities, fetishised for their connotations with the urban life form and advancements in science and technology. Urban technologies mirror the societies using them and thus their uses and upkeep are likely to change when societal values change. Post-industrial development in western countries and the more recent sustainability concerns are examples of this, making some urban technologies either redundant or available for further, new types of uses. This brings attention to what extent the aesthetic norms and values are present in the decisions on maintenance. In this chapter, recent insights into aesthetics of care are used to explore how aesthetic values in the maintenance of urban technologies could be based on the notion of care. This opens a new, empathetic way of thinking about what type of world and cities we will leave to the future generations of humans and nonhumans alike. The perspective underlines ownership, responsibility and collaboration in maintaining those structures that support complex life forms in cities. This requires defining, discussing and deliberating aesthetic values so that they would be better aligned to support more general goals of how cities should function. The chapter brings together ideas from contemporary urban aesthetics, the philosophy of the city and the philosophy of technology.