History of Cities

The first cities In agricultural villages, all inhabitants

were involved in some way in getting food Cities were more removed from everyday

agricultural activities Food was supplied to the city Not all city dwellers were involved in actual

farming Another class of city dwellers supplied

services — such as technical skills, and religious interpretation

The first cities Two elements were crucial to this social

change Generation of agricultural surplus was

necessary for supporting nonfarmers Social system where people had different jobs

Existence of distinct elite and lower classes Facilitates the collection, storage, and

distribution of resources Well-defined channels of authority that exercise

control over goods and people These two set the stage for urbanization

Models for the rise of cities Technical

The hydraulic civilization model, developed by Karl Wittfogel Large-scale irrigation systems were the main

reason urbanization happened Higher crop yields resulted Food surplus supported development of a

large nonfarming population Strong, centralized government, backed by an

urban-based military Farmers who resisted new authority were

denied water

Models for the rise of cities Technical

The hydraulic model cannot be applied to all urban hearths Urban civilization blossomed without

irrigation in parts of Mesoamerica The question of how or why a culture

might first develop irrigation

Models for the rise of cities Religious

Paul Wheatley suggests religion was the motivating factor behind urbanization

Knowledge of meteorological and climatic conditions was considered to be within the domain of religion

Religious leaders decided when and how to plant crops

Successful harvests led to more support for this priestly class

Priestly class exercised political and social control that held the city together

In this scenario, cities are religious spaces functioning as ceremonial centers

First urban clusters and fortification seen as defenses against spiritual demons or souls of the dead

Urban hearth areas Where the first cities appeared, for

example: Mesopotamia The Nile Valley Pakistan’s Indus River Valley The Yellow River valley (or Huang Ho) in

China Mesoamerica

Next slide gives general dates of urban life emergence for each region

Urban hearth areas Generally agreed first cities arose in

Mesopotamia River valley of the Tigris and Euphrates in

what is now Iraq Cities, small by current standards,

covered one-half to two square miles Populations rarely exceeded 30,000 Densities could reach 10,000 per square

mile —comparable to today’s cities

Urban hearth areas Early cities, also called cosmomagical cities,

exhibited three spatial characteristics Great importance accorded the symbolic center

of the city, which was thought to be the center of the known world Often marked by a vertical structure of

monumental scale representing the point on Earth closest to the heavens

This symbolic center took different forms The ziggurat in Mesopotamia The palace or temple in China The pyramid in Egypt and Mesoamerica The Stupa in the Indus Valley

Cosmomagical City: Beijing, China

Urban hearth areas Early cities, also called cosmomagical cities,

exhibited three spatial characteristics. 2nd characteristic: In Mesopotamia, this area was known as the

citadel and housed the elite who lived in relative luxury Streets were paved, drains and running water

were provided Private sleeping quarters, bathtubs, and water

closets were provided Privileges did not extend to the city as a whole

Urban hearth areas Early cities, also called cosmomagical cities,

exhibited three spatial characteristics The city was oriented toward the four cardinal

directions Geometric form of city would reflect the order

of the universe Walls around the city delimited the known and

ordered world from the outside chaos Attempt to shape the form of the city according

to the form of the universe Thought essential to maintain harmony

between human and spiritual worlds

The diffusion of the city from hearth areas Diffusionists believe ideas and

techniques from Mesopotamia were shared with people in the Nile and the Indus River valley

An alternate view is that trading took place only after these cities were well established

The diffusion of the city from hearth areas Little doubt diffusion is responsible for the

dispersal of the city in historical times City used as vehicle for imperial expansion Initially, military controls newly won lands and

sets up collection points for local resources As collection points lose some military

atmosphere they begin to show the social diversity of a city

Native people are slowly assimilated into the settlement as workers and may eventually control the city

The process repeats itself as the empire pushes outward

Introduction Patterns seen in the city today are a

composite of past and present cultures Two concepts underlie our examination of

urban landscapes Urban morphology — physical form of the city,

which consists of street patterns, building sizes and shapes, architecture, and density

Functional zonation — refers to the pattern of land uses within a city, or existence of areas with differing functions

The Greek city Cities had two distinctive functional

zones —the acropolis and the agora The acropolis was similar in many ways

to the citadel of Mesopotamian cities Had the temples of worship, storehouse of

valuables, and seat of power Served as a place of retreat in time of

siege

The Greek city The agora was the province of the

citizens A place for public meetings, education,

social interaction, and judicial matters Later, after the classical period, it became

the city’s major marketplace without losing its atmosphere of a social club

Roman cities As the empire expanded, city life diffused

into areas that had not previously experienced urbanization Most cities were established as military

(castra) and trading outposts Focal points for collection of local

agricultural products Supply centers for the military Service centers for long-distance trading

network

Medieval Town: Hirschhorn am Neckar, Germany This town reveals

three important features of urban morphology: castle, wall, and cathedral. Hirschhorn castle caps the summit of a fortified spur in the bend of the Neckar River, affording a clear view of the river and forested valley.

The Renaissance and Baroque periods Form and function of the city changed significantly

during the Renaissance (1500 — 1600) and baroque (1600-1800) periods

Absolute monarchs arose to preside over a unified nation-state Rising middle class slowly gave up their freedoms to

join with the king in pursuit of economic gain City size grew rapidly because bureaucracies of

regional power structures came to dominate them Trade patterns expanded with the beginning of

European imperial conquest City planning and military technology acted to remold

and constrain the physical form of the city

The Renaissance and Baroque periods A national capital city rose to prominence

in most countries Provincial cities were subjected to its tastes Power was centralized in its precincts First office buildings were built to house a

growing bureaucracy Most important, it was restructured to

reflect the power of the central government and insure control over urban masses