--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If a social and democratic city is going…" description: "\"“If a social and democratic city is going to be built again, it will most probably be built by those who have no investment in the past, no fond memory..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/853/owen-hatherley-56237_time_if-a-social-and-democratic-city-is-going_3042820.jpg" --- # If a social and democratic city is going to be built… ![“If a social and democratic city is going to be built again, it will most probably be built by those who have no investment in the past, no fond memory of it. That isn’t to say they’ll be building on nothing. There is something to conserve, Tony Judt was right about that much – the very fact a…” quote by Owen Hatherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/853/owen-hatherley-56237_time_if-a-social-and-democratic-city-is-going_3042820.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/853/owen-hatherley-56237_time_if-a-social-and-democratic-city-is-going_3042820.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/853/owen-hatherley-56237_time_if-a-social-and-democratic-city-is-going_3042820.jpg) > ““If a social and democratic city is going to be built again, it will most probably be built by those who have no investment in the past, no fond memory of it. That isn’t to say they’ll be building on nothing. There is something to conserve, Tony Judt was right about that much – the very fact a publicly owned Carpenters Estate existed at all was the reason why it sat empty, and the reason why the slogan of the young mothers who occupied it could be so clear and so practical: ‘These people need homes, these homes need people.’ Such words are unlikely to find their way into white letters on a red poster, with an emblem of the crown above them. If we’re ever going to escape from austerity, this clear statement of collective utility is the most likely way out.”” [Owen Hatherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-hatherley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A new democratic city will be built by those unburdened by past investments, yet they must still preserve valuable public assets and prioritize collective utility to overcome austerity. **In simple terms:** Future cities need fresh builders who value shared resources. Key Takeaway Prioritize community needs over past attachments. Themes urban planning social housing democracy collective utility Mood reflective critical optimistic Type analytical policy visionary When to use this quote - housing policy - community organizing - urban renewal - public debates - government budgeting Key Concepts public ownership austerity social equity Questions to Reflect On - How can we honor heritage while meeting current needs? - What mechanisms ensure collective utility in modern cities? A Different Perspective Balancing preservation with innovation can be politically contentious. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Austerity Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/austerity-clear-5024443/) [Carpenters Estate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carpenters-estate-5024442/) [Homes Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homes-need-4198730/) [Need Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-homes-1909806/) [People Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-need/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Young Mothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-mothers/) ## Related quotes > [Our homes need to be more Christ-centered. We should spend more time at the temple and less time in the pursuit of pleasure. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/our-homes-need-to-be-more-christ-centered-we-should-spend-more-time/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [There are so many animals in shelters that need homes. Rather than going to a breeder and buying a dog, or a puppy mill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/there-are-so-many-animals-in-shelters-that-need-homes-rather-than/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [If people need homes then put councils and building workers to work to build them, buy up the empty ones and stop the repossessions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcdonnell/if-people-need-homes-then-put-councils-and-building-workers-to-work/) [John McDonnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcdonnell/) > [There are so many dogs out there that need homes, and so many awesome dogs who are stuck in shelters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-maxwell/there-are-so-many-dogs-out-there-that-need-homes-and-so-many-awesome/) [Stella Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-maxwell/) > [There are so many kids in this world, and in this country, that need homes. And so we're perfectly content to look into adoption…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-ling/there-are-so-many-kids-in-this-world-and-in-this-country-that-need/) [Lisa Ling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-ling/) > [“see the people on the sidewalk?...aren't you glad you're not one of them? they're all so self-importantly going nowhere...they just have no idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinky-friedman/see-the-people-on-the-sidewalk-aren-t-you-glad-you-re-not-one-of-them/) [Kinky Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kinky-friedman/) > [We need two homes, a green one and a brown one, a grown one and a built one, two worlds in tension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harbison/we-need-two-homes-a-green-one-and-a-brown-one-a-grown-one-and-a-built/) [Robert Harbison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harbison/) > [There are a lot of dogs that need homes, and it's not always easy to find the right fit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-richards/there-are-a-lot-of-dogs-that-need-homes-and-it-s-not-always-easy-to/) [Kyle Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-richards/) > [“when these little ones don’t receive the love, they need in their homes, they seek attention outside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/when-these-little-ones-don-t-receive-the-love-they-need-in-their/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [Sisters, while they are growing up, tend to be very rivalrous and as young mothers they are given to continual rivalrous comparisons of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/sisters-while-they-are-growing-up-tend-to-be-very-rivalrous-and-as/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Young mothers who apply for housing assistance in our nation's capital literally could be grandmothers by the time their application is reviewed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/young-mothers-who-apply-for-housing-assistance-in-our-nation-s/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I applaud young mothers who do make their child their motivation in life, instead of blaming their child for failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-applaud-young-mothers-who-do-make-their-child-their-motivation-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I hate it when people talk down on young mothers. Most of us young mothers got more than the young people without kids .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-it-when-people-talk-down-on-young-mothers-most-of-us-young/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But, based on my friendship with Evie as young mothers, I started going on freedom rides in 1966.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/but-based-on-my-friendship-with-evie-as-young-mothers-i-started-going/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) > [“Near home I ran through our park, where I had aired my children on weekends and late-summer afternoons. I stopped at the northeast playground,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/near-home-i-ran-through-our-park-where-i-had-aired-my-children-on/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) ## More by Owen Hatherley > [ “It shows a mediocre architect at the top of his game \[on the Beetham Tower in Manchester\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-hatherley/it-shows-a-mediocre-architect-at-the-top-of-his-game-on-the-beetham/) [Owen Hatherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-hatherley/) > [“Living through the Blitz, edited by MO’s Tom Harrisson, makes clear just how much the ‘1945’ we now consume is a construct, a convenient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-hatherley/living-through-the-blitz-edited-by-mo-s-tom-harrisson-makes-clear/) [Owen Hatherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-hatherley/) > [“Lancastrian workers, the dumb and dignified beasts of burden that line the Road to Wigan Pier, thronged tours by Soviet leaders, workers, soldiers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-hatherley/lancastrian-workers-the-dumb-and-dignified-beasts-of-burden-that-line/) [Owen Hatherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-hatherley/) > [“It is important to record that the ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ poster was never mass-produced until 2008. 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Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/) [Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/) > [Intel has a very complete process that I go through any time I want to sell that ensures I have no insider information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krzanich/intel-has-a-very-complete-process-that-i-go-through-any-time-i-want/) [Brian Krzanich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krzanich/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [I feel like the future is unwritten. 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Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. 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There is something to conserve, Tony Judt was right about that much – the very fact a publicly owned Carpenters Estate existed at all was the reason why it sat empty, and the reason why the slogan of the young mothers who occupied it could be so clear and so practical: ‘These people need homes, these homes need people.’ Such words are unlikely to find their way into white letters on a red poster, with an emblem of the crown above them. 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