Spatial Empathy: The Inclusive City and the Remaking of Sociological Spatial Theory

This session redefines the possibilities and theories of spatial empathy in the city. Empathy is about putting oneself in another's shoes; while changes in institutional, political, and administrative governance, as well as shifts in attitudes toward life, are necessary. The arrangement of physical facilities, encounters, and interactions in daily urban life, as well as the structure and form of buildings and urban spaces is also crucial.

Empathetic cities prioritize citizen participation, cooperation, and inclusion, emphasizing redistribution, recognition, and representation. Drawing from Elinor Ostrom's work, effective governance of shared resources relies on trust, cultural norms, and institutional mechanisms. It involves managing various resources sustainably and acknowledges the complexity of human-ecosystem interactions.

Empathy in cities involves understanding and sharing others' experiences, fostering social cohesion and cultural empathy. Spatial empathy, inuenced by place atmospheres, enhances individuals' connection to urban spaces. Cultural empathy strengthens community bonds and enhances local identity.

This session addresses the shift in sociological research, new challenges, and theories regarding empathy cities through new urban governance and transformation. It explores the direction and possibilities of empathy cities through various discussions, including the potential for new types of communities in cities, the spread of empathy through culture and the arts, the expansion of empathy cities through urban governance and the commons, spatial empathy through encounters and interactions via micro-level approaches, the resolution of conflict and disputes through radical empathy, and the intersection of empathy theory and spatial theory.