How Cities Matter

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title How Cities Matter
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Richard Harris
SeriesElements in Global Urban History
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:75
Dimensions(mm): Height 228,Width 151
Category/GenreWorld history
ISBN/Barcode 9781108749268
ClassificationsDewey:307.116
Audience
General
Illustrations Worked examples or Exercises

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 12 August 2021
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

Most historians and social scientists treat cities as mere settings. In fact, urban places shape our experience. There, daily life has a faster, artificial rhythm and, for good and ill, people and agencies affect each other through externalities (uncompensated effects) whose impact is inherently geographical. In economic terms, urban concentration enables efficiency and promotes innovation while raising the costs of land, housing, and labour. Socially, it can alienate or provide anonymity, while fostering new forms of community. It creates congestion and pollution, posing challenges for governance. Some effects extend beyond urban borders, creating cultural change. The character of cities varies by country and world region, but it has generic qualities, a claim best tested by comparing places that are most different. These qualities intertwine, creating built environments that endure. To fully comprehend such path dependency, we need to develop a synthetic vision that is historically and geographically informed.

Reviews

'How Cities Matter explains the ways in which urban settings shapes people's lives since the industrial revolution: the agglomerations of citizens, travellers, and workers, and, consequently, their social, economic, and cultural affairs. Scrutinizing these ways, this book makes a key contribution to the field of urban history.' Federico Camerin, MIT Press