The Concept of Identity as a Tool for Professional Legitimation in Architectural and Urban Planning Practice: A One Company Ethnography

Abstract

Based on an ethnographic analysis of an architectural and urban planning company in St. Petersburg, this article examines the use of the concept of “identity” in the practice of architects and urban planners. In recent years, the concept of identity has become an important element of Russian architectural and urban discourse. It is present in research, project portfolios, and official urban planning documents, influencing the policies and practices of city planning. However, despite its popularity and influence, this concept is strikingly ambiguous: it can refer to a citizen’s sense of belonging, the collective image of a city, the contextuality and traditionality of a building, or, conversely, its uniqueness and originality. For an architect, “identity” can be created, revealed, or preserved. Why, despite this, does it remain in such high demand, and what does it actually mean? How and for what purposes is it used? This article answers these questions using anthropological methods and considering the design process as a form of communication in which the concept of “identity” has its own pragmatics of use.