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UN Volunteers Policy Paper
‘Caring Cities’
Volunteering in Urban Development and the role of the United Nations Volunteer Programme
PART I –
URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND VOLUNTEERISM
The Importance of Volunteerism in Urban Development
PART I –
URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND VOLUNTEERISM
The Importance of Volunteerism in Urban Development
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usual risk factors, researchers on the subject began to draw
explanations related to social cohesion. For instance:
‘From the beginning the sense of common purpose and the
camaraderie among the Italians precluded ostentation or
embarrassment to the less affluent, and the concern for
neighbors ensured that no one was ever abandoned. This
pattern of remarkable social cohesion, in which the family, as
the hub and bulwark of life, provided a kind of security and
insurance against any catastrophe… Throughout the years of
study of this community the indicators were that the strength
of unconditional interpersonal support and family and community
cohesiveness had served to counteract the effects of life
stress… The data obtained over a span of twenty years in the
Italian-American community of Roseto, when compared with
those of neighbouring communities, strongly suggests that the
cultural characteristics – the qualities of a social organization –
affect in some way individual susceptibility to myocardial
infarction and sudden death. The implication is that an
emotionally supportive social environment is protective and
that, by contrast, the absence of family and community support
and the lack of a well-defined role in society are risk factors.’
(Bruhn and Wolf, 1979: 134, after Wilkinson, 1996: 117–118)
The Construction of Social Cohesion and Capital
The reasoning developed above notes the pivotal importance
of social cohesion for development. The construction of social
cohesion in urban areas – particularly in the larger centres – is
an important task. On one hand, as already noted, cities and
towns are strategic for the formation of social capital as they
constitute spatial entities where people congregate. On the
other hand, they constitute a challenge, especially the largest
cities, considering that heterogeneity is a hallmark of urban
communities. Such communities lack the spontaneous stock of
social capital which is generally available in places where the
inhabitants share the same ethnic-cultural background. A
straightforward policy implication would be the need to invest
in the construction of social cohesion. Governments have a
role to play in investing in social capital, in supporting the
voluntary and community organizations which nurture it. As
Putnam (1993) has put it: ‘For political stability, for government
effectiveness, and even for economic progress social capital
may be even more important than physical or human capital’.
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3.4. Cultural Heritage and Local Pride
The preservation/reinstatement of the cultural values of a
society has a significant impact on development. Deterioration
of historically important material cultural assets – structures,
sites, objects, books and archives – results in loss of heritage
and identity, as does the disappearance of cultural expression
– music, language, folklore and crafts. A given community
tends to have a greater stake in a development initiative when it
relates to – or at least respects – the community’s cultural
foundations. Cultural heritage also plays a very important role in
reinforcing the pride of a community vis-à-vis the place where it
lives. There is a social identification with a given city/town as a
place (geographical entity): everybody within a local population
belongs to the same place. Therefore, urban conservation
enhances the social identification of the population with its city.
On the contrary, many initiatives are wasted precisely because
they overlook cultural foundations – exemplified by cases of
vandalism in public infrastructure and buildings and the lack of
use of public facilities. Therefore, it is imperative to preserve
and reinstate the cultural dimension of the settlements, and to
reinforce the sentiment of pride that the citizens feel towards
their built milieu.
The preservation of culture largely depends upon voluntary
actions of individuals and groups – e.g. preservation within
one’s private property; care of public spaces and buildings;
collective efforts to restore endangered monuments and
intangible assets, etc. These are attitudes which cannot be
‘bought and sold’ in the private market; they are fundamentally
based in voluntary/free will.
The relationship between volunteerism and cultural heritage/local
pride, if supported, provides the opportunity for the establishment
of a virtuous cycle. This includes the preservation of the
local culture; enhancement of the local pride increases people’s
motivation to further invest in their settlement (i.e. increased
propensity to do volunteer work). This additional investment in
their place will generate further impact on the cultural heritage,
local pride and so forth.