Efficiency, Temporal Justice, and the Rhythm of Cities

Abstract

Each and every city has its own rhythm, to a large extent depending on structural conditions like the prevalent economic base, the composition of the population (age, religion, migrational status, etc.), the development and condition of the infrastructure, the regulatory framework regarding time, but also geographic, locational, historic, and cultural factors. City rhythms are an important factor of local identity but also of the temporal efficiency and temporal justice of cities. Depending on the construction of public transport infrastructure and the provision of services, different parts of the population and different parts of the city do not have equal access to the respective relevant locations. Some have to bear higher temporal costs to get their daily chores done than others, thus producing an uneven distribution of time in the city with respect to social groups and locations. Moreover, the provision of public services is often organised in an inefficient manner leading to (unnecessary) time losses. Hence, the main cause of temporal stress (and higher temporal costs) is not necessarily time shortage but rather an unequal distribution of resources and choices to organise daily time uses. The chapter is dealing with basic concepts of urban rhythms, the temporal efficiency of cities and the impact of temporal inefficiency on temporal/social justice. Since very little material is available, the central focus will be on elaborating central questions based on a variety of practical examples.