Spirituality and Social Change: Rebuilding the Human City

The accelerated growth rate of cities world-wide and the intimate connection between built environments and the enhancement or diminishment of human life make cites one of the most critical spiritual as well as social and design issues of our age. This essay first explores the connections between Christian spirituality, the public realm and social transformation especially in urban contexts. It then summarises some elements of the Christian tradition of thinking about the meaning of cities and finally it outlines two important ways of reflecting on spirituality and the urban: the impact of spatial structures and the nature of urban virtue.