20 Examples of Rules of Urbanity


The concept of rules of civility it is associated with a series of behaviors that people are expected to have in order to coexist peacefully in society. For instance: when sneezing, people should hold their noses, the facilities should not be dirty anywhere.

As in live in society It necessarily implies coexisting with people with whom one does not have a direct relationship or knows too much about their lives, it will be necessary for there to be certain implicit guidelines corresponding to everyone living in an atmosphere of cordiality and good taste: the rules of civility are the responsibility of personal behavior and individual of each person, but nevertheless together they talk about social behavior.

The idea of ‘urbanity’ it is at least debatable, since it can be thought that it implies a certain pejorative charge towards the ways of life that do not occur in cities but in more rural or small-town environments. However, it can be thought from the perspective that the formal definition of the urban is like the agglomerations in which more than 2000 inhabitants live (between 2000 and 20,000 it will be a town, if the sum exceeds it it will be a city) and then the definition takes on another meaning: 2000 inhabitants They can be thought of as a kind of frontier in which the relationships that are established between people are not made through individual knowledge and feelings, but simply as personifications designed to satisfy needs.

More simply, a urban space It is one in which people have to interact with others who surely do not know their name, their history and their characteristics, while a place that does not reach the category of urban is one in which most people know each other , being able to have their own codes of behavior, just as each household has its own. The rules of civility can be understood as guidelines when there are no relationships between people beyond those required by mutual need.

The rules of civility are not formalized in any regulation, and above all they do not usually have any sanction for non-compliance: at most it will be a legal contravention, but above all there will be a rejection from the core of society to those who breach them.

The education, especially the one taught in primary schools, is one of the main responsible for the dissemination of this type of rules, and it is frequent that the first teachers are the ones who end up internalizing this kind of behavior with the greatest force in children. manners: This happens because school is one of the first spaces where compliance with these rules is verified, when the child interacts for the first time with people he does not know. It is common for countries with the lowest level of schooling to be the ones that have the greatest problems with respect to urbanity standards.

Examples of the rules of civility

  1. Before any relationship between two people, they should greet each other.
  2. Confidence with people is acquired over time, and you should not talk about intimacies with those you do not know.
  3. The defects that one notices in another person should not be said, so as not to offend him.
  4. Dealing with a person with hierarchical or age superiority must be done formally, unless the preference is mutual.
  5. When sneezing, people should hold their nose.
  6. When playing a game, the option to lose always exists and must be assumed in that case.
  7. When a person meets two acquaintances who do not know each other, he must introduce them.
  8. Care must be taken for the comfort of the elderly, whether in public transport or on the street.
  9. The opinions of others must be respected.
  10. When the shift criterion is the order of arrival, it must be respected honestly.
  11. Orders must always be made with ‘please’.
  12. The facilities should not be soiled anywhere.
  13. Pets should be controlled, taking into account that many people do not like them.
  14. When the requests are taken care of, it is due to respond with ‘thank you’.
  15. Comparisons between people should be avoided as much as possible.
  16. When a person is working, try not to interrupt him.
  17. Safety rules in public spaces must be respected.
  18. People should be groomed and kept clean.
  19. The tone of voice should be enough to be heard, but not higher than that.
  20. Before entering a place where you do not know you will arrive, you must knock on the door.
  • Standards in the broad and strict sense
  • Unilateral and bilateral rules