A New Buzzword for Changing Cities: 'Trust'

Christopher Swope notes that "trust has always been a social dynamic in cities"—and so has mistrust, exemplified by recent events in Ferguson, Missouri. But "[today], some combination of technology, austerity and social transformation, seems to be changing the conversation. The rise of mobile apps, social media and other web-enabled forms of communication are a big part of what’s going on. These platforms don’t create trust, but they do create new ways for us to discover trust and put it to work in cities."

Swope goes on to list, in detail, four of the ways "trust" was invoked at the CityLab event in Los Angeles held at the end of September, such as "Enabling sharing," "Foiling corruption," "Strengthening social networks," and "Reducing suspicion."