A cultural environment can be said to be a set of beliefs, practices, meanings, customs and behavior that are found to be common to all people living in a particular social group. So it is very appropriate that the cultural environment shapes the way each person develops, influencing the meaning of ideology and personality.
On the other hand, the cultural environment is determined by the culmination of various cultural aspects that influence personal choices and behavior. Even if viewed from a conceptual perspective, the cultural environment is often associated with a positive image related to the history of a place.
Or it could be said that the cultural environment is produced from various types of human activities, including industrial activities which can produce industrial areas, for example industrial areas located along the River Thames in the Thames Gateway area in London.
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Cultural Environment
Culture is a general term that includes behavior and social norms in people’s lives. Apart from that, culture also includes the knowledge, beliefs, customs, laws, arts, abilities and habits of individuals in that social group.
Referring to the definition, it can be said that the term cultural environment refers to the environment in which a culture develops and all its elements resulting from human activities in daily life.
Understanding the Cultural Environment
Cultural environments are environments shaped by human activities, such as cultural landscapes in rural areas, forests, urban areas and cities, fixed archaeological structures on land or water, construction and the built environment of various ages, along with bridges, roads, power lines and industry, as well as the port area.
On the one hand, the cultural environment is a non-renewable resource, on the other hand, the cultural environment is in a state of constant renewal and development.
When changing and developing a valued cultural environment or creating a new cultural environment or part thereof, the values of the existing environment are a good starting point. What is lost once in a cultural environment, remains lost forever.
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Understanding the Cultural Environment According to Experts
The definition of the cultural environment according to experts includes:
- Open Education Sociology Dictionary , Cultural environment is the behavior, norms and social values that people use to understand and explain their physical and social environment.
- Parment, A (2014) , In terms of the cultural environment, there are significant differences between countries, and also within national borders or markets, for example, between metropolitan and rural areas.
Cultural Environment Concept
The environment shows traces of human activity and interaction with nature, from prehistoric times to modern times. Landscapes of various types and ages, built environments, and archaeological remains form what is known as a cultural environment.
The concept of cultural environment is often associated with positive images related to history. The cultural environment shows traces from prehistoric times to modern times. Therefore, its temporal dimension is very broad.
The value placed on a cultural environment is specific to a particular culture, time and place. These values may vary depending on the time period. Additionally, places we may not want to see or remember are part of the cultural environment.
The cultural environment has significant social and cultural value. Some cultural environments are protected or defined as particularly valuable. The cultural environment also contains intangible values. It can be seen as the basis for collective memory and identity of communities and people.
Everyone has the right to a good cultural environment, and we are all responsible for maintaining it. The layers and continuity of our environment allow people to become oriented, understand the present and build the future.
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Types of Cultural Environments and Examples
As has been said previously, the cultural environment is an environment formed by human activities. Various forms of cultural environment as a result of human activity include the following:
1. Rural area
In general, rural areas are geographical areas located outside cities. Rural areas are characterized by low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas are generally rural, as are other types of areas such as forests. Different countries have different definitions of rurality for statistical and administrative purposes.
The term rural area refers to an area whose main activity is in the agricultural sector, including the management of natural resources with a functional composition of the area which is used as a place for rural settlements, government services, social services and economic activities.
Examples of rural areas include 3 villages located in Ngablak District, Magelang Regency, namely Jogoyasan Village, Giritengah and Pandean Village, which will be used as pilot projects for rural areas. The three villages are on the slopes of Mount Telomoyo, Andong and Merbabu.
2. Urban area
Urban areas are human settlements with high population density and built environmental infrastructure. Beside Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs.
And urban is the opposite of rural, where agricultural land is located. In urban areas, most jobs are factory and office jobs, while agricultural jobs are rare because buildings are close together and there is no room for agricultural land.
The term urban area refers to an agglomeration of (autonomous) cities with functional cities in the surrounding area that have urban characteristics, which can exceed the administrative territorial boundaries of the city in question.
An example of an urban area is the Bandung metropolitan area which consists of Bandung City, Cimahi City, and surrounding areas whose urban characteristics actually fall within the administrative boundaries of Bandung Regency. Likewise, the Jabodetabek urban area includes the cities of Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi.
3. Industrial area
An industrial area (also known as a trade area) is an area zoned and planned for industrial development purposes. Industrial parks can be considered a more “heavyweight” version of a business park or office area, containing offices and light industry, rather than heavy industry.
Industrial areas are usually located on the edge or outside the main residential areas of the city, and are usually equipped with good transportation access, including roads and railways.
One example is the many industrial areas located along the River Thames in the Thames Gateway area in London. Industrial areas are usually located close to transportation facilities, especially where more than one mode of transportation coincides, including highways, railways, airports, and ports.
4. Port area
Harbors are protected areas of water where ships, boats and barges can anchor and are often located along coastlines at the edge of a marine environment. Although harbors can occur naturally, many harbors are deliberately created by humans
These artificial harbors are built for example as breakwaters, sea walls or piers or can be built by dredging, which requires maintenance with further periodic dredging.
An example of an artificial harbor is Long Beach Harbor, California, United States, which was a series of salt marshes and tidal flats that were too shallow for modern merchant ships before it was first dredged in the early 20th century. Meanwhile, examples of natural harbors include Sydney Harbor, Australia and Trincomalee Harbor in Sri Lanka.
5. Tourism area
A tourism area is a geographical area determined by a government agency or tourism bureau to have similar cultural or environmental characteristics. These regions are often named after historical or current administrative and geographic areas.
Others have names created specifically for tourism purposes. These names often evoke certain positive qualities of the area and suggest a coherent tourism experience to visitors.
Countries, states, provinces and other administrative regions are often carved out into tourism areas. Apart from attracting the attention of potential tourists, this tourist area often brings tourists who are otherwise unfamiliar with the area with a number of interesting options that can be managed.
Example of the Cultural Environment of a Tourism Area
Some of the more well-known tourism regions based on historical or current administrative regions include Tuscany in Italy and Yucatán in Mexico. Well-known examples of regions created by governments or tourism bureaus include England’s Lake District and California ‘s Wine Country in the United States.
From the explanation put forward, it can be said that the cultural environment is an environment that is important for people’s identity and well-being. The cultural environment and its distinctive features give regions and places unique advantages, serving as a basis for the development of local communities and creating business opportunities.
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That is why understanding the cultural environment is about identifying and understanding the dimensions of culture, in the broadest sense that are important in a particular context or application, and at the same time seeing similarities and problems that are not subject to differences but can rather be seen as commonalities, for example, experiences group specific.
Where humans acquire culture through the learning process of enculturation and socialization, which is demonstrated by cultural diversity across communities. A cultural norm establishes acceptable behavior in society. it serves as a guide for behavior, dress, language, and attitude in a situation, serving as a template for expectations within its social group .