Why City Stories Matter: Urban Life as a Narrative Achievement

City stories are sociologically interesting because they claim to talk about society now. They can also define what was in the past or might be in the future, whether they are nostalgic or dystopian tales. Cities are not just urban systems that are comprehended through the apparatus of ‘big data’ or the engines of political economy; storytellers also make them. Those stories have moral projects, too, and while we should always question the underpinning facts of an account through them, we can evaluate the values of the teller. Drawing on 40 years of urban research in British cities, Les Back will argue why city stories matter. From narratives of the ‘death of community’ to tales of ‘racial harmony’ or ‘divisive gentrification’, the urban community is conceived not just as a physical topography or social relations but as a narrative achievement. How people tell city stories prepares them for how they can live, what is possible and the terms of life itself.