From uniqueness to singularity through city prestige

Abstract

This paper as a briefing explains the difference between ‘city uniqueness’ and ‘city singularity’ and emphasises how a city's notoriety promotes its unique characteristics in a deliberate direction towards the singularity. This viewpoint asserts that the significant urban forms are responsible for cities’ uniqueness. In contrast, city singularity is concerned with the tangible and intangible components of urban form and city life. Events or daily life experiences, an ambiance that authentically captures its history’, chronicles, ideologies, religions, beliefs and human values are the intangible aspects of cities that confer prestige on the unique forms of cities and promote singularity. The concluding remarks reveal the commonalities between the two terms, distinguishing the imageability of tangible urban forms (e.g. star architecture and artefacts). Having a strong psychological sense of place provides a city with a good reputation, a good name and a good image, thus distinguishing it from other cities, as evidenced by contribution of proposing a method for determining the distinctions between these words.