Religion and Urban Planning

In his article, David Engwicht discusses the fact that religions (of all types) have played major roles in the development of our cities. Today, places of worship are the primary components of almost all urban centers. Author Lorne Daniel writes “From their often active role in supporting people who live in city centers to their iconic influence on the design and use of space, religious structures tell us a lot about our history, our current needs, and where we might be headed in the future. This is an aspect of our urban future that planners and urbanists should attend to.”
Identify a place of worship with which you are somewhat familiar. (If you are not familiar with any places of worship, do a bit of research on one in your own city or town.) Show a photograph of this religious structure. (You may use photographs from the web, and include a link)
What roles have this place served in the development of your city/town?
How has it influenced the design of the area around it?
How has its role changed over time?
What roles could this place of worship play in the future development of your city/town?
Limit your response to approximately 250 words.
When responding to this question, tell us the name of the place of worship, where it is located, and when it was built.
In her article titled “What do churches have to do with urban planning, Sara Joy Pope writes: “Historically, cultural institutions such as churches, universities, hospitals, and fraternal organizations have been significant contributors to the fabric of our cities, serving as hubs for nurturing community well-being and acting as the social glue for otherwise disparate individuals living in proximity to one another. In fact, the physical lands on which many of these institutions are located are often the geographic city centers; reiterating their important communal role. In our sprawling and auto-oriented cities, however, that centrality has substantially faded.” If the place of worship you are using for this question has faded in terms of its importance in the community, you might want to ask your parents, grandparents or older relatives the set of questions for the week. It might be interesting to compare their responses to yours.
As the roles of religion have shifted in the U.S., places of worship have shifted as well. Some are empty. Others have been turned into housing, office space, daycare centers, and businesses. A former church in Buffalo has been converted into a recording studio and concert venue. These examples of adaptive reuse are reflections of changing cultures. How does the place of worship that you have selected reflect cultural changes?