The Soft City with of exhaust foes; that faint, smoky-turguoise big city ‘oloue. T sind on the pavement waiting to cross at the lights. Suddenly T know that T don’t know the direction of the trafic. Do cars here deve on the left of the eight hand fide of the road? A cluster of Tian au pair gis, their voices mellow and labial, like « chon exaped from an ‘pers, pass ze; I hex, in the crowd, an adenoidal Nebraskan contnito, tangy a2 ¢ jew'sbarp. Tamed to a dizzied toorist mel, forgetful and jetshocked, I have to hunt in ry head for’ the language spoken ete. But this is whete you live, is your cty—London, of [New York or wherever and its langmage is the language yatve always known, the language from which being you, Deing me, ate iseparble. a those dazed moments at stop- lights, i's possble to be a stranger to yourself, to be 90 loubiful as to who you are that you have to check on things Tike the placards round the news-vendor’ kiosks or the uniforms of the trac policemen. You're a balloonistadif, land yout need anchors to tether you down. ‘A sociologist, T suppose, wonld see these as clasic symp- toms of aliension, more evidence to add to the alredy fat dossier on the evils of wan life, I feel moze hospitable towards them. For at moments like this, the city goes soft; it awaits the imprint of an identity. Foe beter oF wore, it ints you to remake it, t0 consolidate it into a shape you can live in. You, to, Decide who you ate, and the cy will Again assume 4 Gxed form sound you. Decide what i i, tod yout own identity will be reveiled, ike » position oa &0 Soft Cy ‘ip Sed by tangsion, les, ale ilges snd eal towns at plate by nature We old them a out tmager: thy ia ht, Sap by tence hy eer ea we ty to impose out owe. peal feam eaten. Ta is ‘seit sca to eh Ing in ces ana and ee ted the voubuluy of a of pe to debe te peut ‘onship between anand tel at exits he Continual aie ply of chan vg. The ely ne igi by the sot cy of iasan, ey, apt, sie cat ab wea, maybe tore rel than toe hardy See 2 ict on aps atti, fa monogenic ‘adology tnd deguphy and aches Yat the hard facts af es tnd to be lege dea and Brut. A honed yo go they wee te ac of sealing recy, gly donsnete! by tae cere Re Hes Mayhew Charis Beth and, ite ar tv Amer, Joo Ris, Today the overhang fac of le ln New’ tone, if not in London isthe vlene brewing in sto Indes, fone and ileace a cyst: bth oe rinasiy' dependent on the aids people bol’ oease Srnger The indifcene that geri the ene, Se Hated that antes the ote, em fn the fae oe feng, «ey ca etnge you from youl, how one sore powell can detach you fot the lie of a fcp cd haw del ince yon aay bcos ae Fucenbly pinte cianiy of foot ova hed 1 Octher srs when the eeingy had beget dc cacy ia Londen «toyed bop aepped ae a Nek awe on the Nal, Desims Dasta's ead ikon Approach to Buckingham Paice. “Tbe bo ha bez ence ie nope I nee fr Copy he bared, tnd witsl'a clave Jot eae te ICR a ide ight of eps, eaty Ia shded byt The bop Cae et bere for his woke. ews «wana essay bight and the Mall was basing wt sling cles 1 twits ot afer dinner fn thi hots When he mie ded, te cowed emerging frm te ICA issn the hope Sosy for aoe jake or paves! dank es Be The Soft City m ‘be pemanendy panied cae at hin om the side of the him ‘with his hand, the other got his sc and severed his pial cord with © 2 in ‘enknife ‘The whole encounter had ght, "Nothing was siclen; the men were ft copy’ crimes. Who might not fall vicim to the Enview? ‘You have a cit, «git, a new suit, a cigarette, even a smile ‘The we ihe mow eet tnd wanted pus of he cy P f } i Bi 8 ‘war, you die of ate aimed because you were wearing the ‘wrong uniform. What was the boy's is Tis expresion? his mere attendance a w ther sooty resort of the caltred midale clases? Ta the lst few yeas, its Decome plain that you are at your most vulnerble to the mugaee fa the ‘play and exterainment’ ares of the diy. In New Yotk, Brosdvay and the Plaza ere notorious danger spots; in London, the district around Waterco, enclosing Both the South Bank ats complex and the Old Vic, has the highes record of unprovoked violent asault- ‘The sssump- tion is wally made that thee ae areas where people cry stufled wallets and, softened on food and wine and theatre, fre cary game for the thief. But anothey, more frightening ceaplanation presents ise: tht the vtins were chosen imply becatse they secmed to be enjoying themselves, having a good time, and that cowy is pedups an even stronges motive for violence than greed, We have so sepa2 Sot Cy tied caelve, penon from peton and grosp frm inthe ely, that we have tude hated seal eration cams to tos lightly and lass Symptons of an ancesconly baiboued dase (Coning ot ofthe London Undeound at Oxford Chs one ftenon, Tw ¢inan-go Deon in the crowd ce the sa "You fring. king batts! be shut tnd his words sled toaed and sind the ltr por Ghia tube as we ploughed though, He wis ha bt city ut with «ne cty paper ney olde in pak and Hs Enemas we pelt be gk Wt we bring na ht abody owed erate: sight speting Sp inthe pace of te ome tured bead oe wats gue atime, bu hat wat all isk we all Kew, ld Yee fh our ow pole, the antrophchia and The ety tht ws eating aoa ate mia who was calag ts Tae se wee ll ing cach lhe Who fd love for his Fl: fia at sud hou? Notte T apc tht he bet sures gant ban viene the fc that mt of ws sa fan Cova with sasgrs; we do’ wit to tou one ante or fea tnt dove fo Be sak of somcoe es Ife, The taggers and the men who fep gs on crowded soy tea we exceptions, Dot if ox anetpesed lnhng Tor stages ia «crowd were beak tat bu of lyst inkbtin, who ows wat ell might be lt ese an te #4 ‘AST write, the Ligud Theatre iin performance under the ards of Canny Co Sa; 1 pepo ease of touchantfel, whee the members of the auene ar Jed through games in which they explore each others bedi, It is a pleaunble, gentle, motentely inexpensive therpy for uiban people, yo on the surface #sers 4 riage one We spend! so mich of out tn, afte tl, ia cows: out bodies are always coliiog and ebbing, cr huads bra ing; oar art of privacy, ia 8 soley whet land ad spect se congantly and dangernsly ssing in vale, ate being eroded. The modera cy, of seal apatmcats and densely ‘capil communications toutes tins, pavement it ap The Set Cay i ccnatt wllways—mates o ive hoggeraipss, chek 1 ‘Geeks We needy apparent, to tex bow 0 toh eich ‘ier ania, and se pepe to spend money end ight txt (pmiing put mote People on wbeae en rote to hacng Cos) on at ther Single homan exer. Toad Without vlence o torn —sndwithat seal pun, Toots fumed into + facly testened wih extincon, ers otf te i le dn he ot Colin of eocanter xperinetl dra ‘Todo iatall weave fo pot on mk ct ot be wheeled into by poatde gs or butcstd,Afm-beaded stevaangen Tat We Bee fre Fees sre Fre ota igh rites of turer kd sul ae ot a temas symp ters of waa congestion A remote, low-deniy rl at lite Cadignbie in Wes Wales can tore thin old fovn agin London in i per copia marer gus. Bot ru ses the afonty fhe wins of let cine ow thes souls (ideed, ce pobbly maid then); inc, the killer andthe mggee cme oot of te torynons dick thle fies onecpabed, tht motes Chace In ly, you can be Knows, evi, ated by Sennpers Ta you in, you en fe the egg, opetic enor tha the iy eons in iat, The ban tecotiy the fooped, the Envy, the Angry Brigse, the Wain he So, as peor pert Ind gandloqent gesture, of « dso which is for ot of os haokfly, «seta, ump in he bead which few of os ae suBcenly md of deperte to 2 oat “fe one vlan Lado fe sry of sl, avi, Iatlemens ie was bulk when the Vigan mie’ dss Family ons the trope ntition Inthe wor, and when is heser reflected be iperial wealth and grinder (cet treaton the divin edition) of Hse Space wat wel ih Seer sey Mh gy a ae a Tairays, mule pled. porches which cold. themselves onforaby tcommodste # modern sl-contained st. The frowe wus cc a woking community, There wer fat4 Soft City et in inital Ue ue CH Telpall tat gues dene Gar Reese Of Hopi Emly ed cn he bas eh to tld and ap Yate wre of ons Deon Ze te twetcey i heer ei as tel pps fr fae intel nel eS ‘Seed pen on wl of cs eal Soy ase Spe now os deel eRe ‘tnt as te sed octal So rene * hipalypaledy pe a cans fone te inn omy seo ya Bo ewe Deng ae 1c Nant of le tele we ue af Stes bre pieetjerheBolape te idl lls are strangers, not on thé street, of across the square, but in the tee tom” (haw my een be sane iene me a) Tas oe ct tad PT a Songer ota &f leh ad oe so oe epee treat ke «Ing tough whch th badee rene Son endvtettge Nowa doa bt eg ages ie ne stepntin wih ta oe I tcaras ase for Keita fs agin pes wae whe a Seb iat iaisooen as eoaae "Pe we al tou Be dof «gi icing er inet © dope ope tat Coron amrteut aera em ae biceps. A ‘man—I can hear his feet cradling oa the bare bourds—says: ‘Shut up. Why doa’t you bloody well shut ‘up? Thea there are nights of joke-bashing : someone matters like « priest going quickly through 2 private ofice, followed by bursts of yelling adenoidal lnughter. The rotine is te- peated and repened; I fall asleep, alone, with Australians in ay cus ‘The fat acrss the well is ocampied by 1 gagale of people, and most of them are passing through; they fit when it suits them. T cant fit their faces let alone their names to The Soft City a there night noses eters come for them, and go sogay tnd Sle inthe maior We sare a font door, nothing more Coal that gil there, with the douph-pudding fextures td the shabby twist be the sabe gil who wa 40 mpl aly folflled lat aight? Pechaps. For wollen is te ley here: you play Beabodierand legs wit incongioss fragments of other peoples ives. Tes only with consitene Indico, where ll Ge dels, tat seanges become novable that thls lives take oo pater you an saps. thse with and undestuad. As log as they remain Ike th, fnchotte and unploed, they ae spooks: the exsist thing to do with them isto knit them infos partnoid fatsy. So lonely ‘ld people and not jt in cies conceive of the sci, fragmentary life aroand ther as concerted ple, fll, of sinister coincidences. To live in acy is live in a comemuniy of people who are singers to cach other. You bare to act on hits and fences, for they are all at the mobile and cellar nature of city life wil allow you You expose youself in and te fxpeand to by athe, fagmens, folate signals, bue dix ened gestures, jungle cies sod. whisper that rest all Your tempts to uncvel tele meaning thee consist. ‘AS oan delle, we Live ina world misked by the pepe athe oem able (Such bre, that man. She went to the Sophele? comes the sudden loud phnse, breaking out of the confident mara), the man glinpscd in the street swith a bowl hat anda backsew and never seen agai the (Bel cogromed inher orgim scr the atwell. SO mich {ks place inthe hed, so litle is known and fae. Signal, sles asters of mpd, highly conventonlized communica Gio, ate the lifeblood ofthe big cy. Ie iz when thes ‘pstens bree down when we loe out gap onthe grit (of urban life = tut the Eaves take over The cit, oar great ‘modem form, i wat, aenble to + dazling and lids varity of lives, deans, interpretations. But the very plastic Gpules which makes the city the great lbersoe of human enti also casei to be pecily vuloeable to psychosis fd taliaran sigunare can, in the Platonic idea,6 Soft cay e the higher pein of mats amon and ee of rn cory hair tc, th iy ina be et ‘rvs, exprion of hispanic hen his hae af Sanger, is clones. es ey to “op pole fae tip, ce sine ond ancoyiy ted te thet of det Sonmanal tncios Have the kad of behav y Vilage would sap oot bith, ut the cy i the pak wher you cn chore yor tay kalo the ce ‘Phe Jou cn op dared feed ol oem he dle Themes of your Fumi yn ca, t0, "ete por te iS tami een ia, wo tate or of your ca The nae can ep att ‘Sido ty dnp sin who hus bee sale ct by the dinky san cat this cts the ey wen Get ents wt wil, Dickens tamptuny proved oe tod crash ns cml ta hau lis and nsanehroer sopualy, The gue, thet tu of ly fe tends cansanly fo mclolaae, My co ti hee io ives he plo and ipl Pe the mtue of dace ofthe heen ci Be haps ak we ay bec useing what it eg 36 ey Sed Tow they change cr syle of ving and theking ae ck ise wo The City as Melodrama What did these vein and presempiuoss men intend? How id they expect to rite this lofty mass aginst God, when they bad bale above all the mountains and clouds of the cans mosphere? Suint Augustine on Babylon, City of God, Bk XY. The cty bas lvays been an embodiment of hope and a fource of festering guts dream pared, and found win, ‘rung, end. desrucive, Out cite ood of evalion Taint Ces isnot new; me have growa wed to looking for Utopia only to discover tat we bave crated Hell. We are Acabtemed to gazing at America to make oot oar future, find in America the dy wiely rund as the sack of fcrement which the coatsy has (0 cay nts ack 10 fone fort sins Rado, tleisoe, mmgtrins, colleges feeunt tal talline in which the word “uaa, pronounced in the hushed and conte tooe of a mee alps, is mono- fooously followed by the two prediates, ‘problems! and ‘renewal, On thee joylss orasons, 8 made ceitthit the re 8 ral solutions, and that the non of fehilation is 4 ple of empy peg, a cesey ction in ‘thi noone relly belews. When hlsyoe Lindty of New York made hit abocve bid for the Detocate Preideatal fhoniaation in 1972, the only tangible ret of his exmpige we Bs of ky ct te pba in i ey Trina, vegeable, and mize. Te farter became apparent that nobody inthe United Stes wasted « bigctypredent beter to look to Maine, Alubuta, South Deka, Califor, ‘hose native sons would aot be polluted by the tench of thse Stes where most of Amercr's domestic troubles are loatel