GGY201 Urban Structure, Environment and Society - Lecture Notes (PDF)

GGY201 – URBAN STRUCTURE, ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY. LECTURE NOTES: THE ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT OF CITIES (PART 1) INTRODUCTION:  Historically cities can be distinguished from other settlements by their larger population size, their economic activities and that people were not overly inv...

GGY201 – URBAN STRUCTURE, ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY. LECTURE NOTES: THE ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT OF CITIES (PART 1) INTRODUCTION:  Historically cities can be distinguished from other settlements by their larger population size, their economic activities and that people were not overly involved in agricultural production.  These early cities were centres of political, economic and social power.  The primary engine of growth for cities have historically been economic (agrarian, merchant, capitalist, industrial, etc.).  Early cities were important sites for political change and centralised power.  Early cities were also centres of profound cultural innovation and change. PRECONDITIONS TO URBAN FORMATION:  Ancient cities emerged and correspond with the first agricultural revolution between 6000-8000 years ago.  Most contemporary cities of the world, did not even exist 300 years ago (think about most industrial cities).  The word “city” and “civilisation” have the same Latin root.  “Civilisation” has become a culturally loaded term – but in the context of ancient cities it refers to complex socio-cultural organisation, with formal institutions and organisation of people under a centralised authority.  Ecologically the physical location of these early cities were important – often located in sub-tropical, temperate or Mediterranean climatic zones. Fertile soil for farming activity was crucial and located near rivers or fixed sources of water and other resources. An elevated landscape was also important for defensive reasons.  Technological innovation was also needed in early cities. Agricultural production had to increase, technologies such as irrigation systems were needed, as well as the transportation and storage of food. Building technology was also needed for fortification and monumental structures.  Social organisation and power required to regulate the activity of people living in the city. Elites emerged and gained power over material resources and other social groups. 1   Early cities functioned economically as centres of extraction and redistribution from hinterland (countryside) to the urban population. THEORIES OF URBAN ORIGINS:  There is no monocausal (or single reason) for the origins of cities. One single cause would be too simple and highly unlikely. Therefore, several theories of urban origins are proposed. o Agricultural surplus:  surplus food > social surplus  division of labour in non-agricultural work  Managing surplus food required greater social organisation  A central authority emerged to administer surplus  Early forms of tithing, taxation or corvée labour o Religion:  Religion was linked to the development of social power  The temple became the most prominent feature in early cities  Early elites held both political and spiritual authority  Emergence of a priestly class  The blending of religious and secular authority to establish a theocracy o Defensive needs:  Fortification was a common feature in early cities  Most ancient cities had walls  The emergence of a military class (army)  To defend and protect food supplies and other resources o Trading requirements:  Complex culture > complex economy  Trade was a significant feature of early cities  Trade is cited as a major factor for the emergence of marketplaces that would form the basis for new cities  Economic intensification and diversification  Emergence of a merchant class with privileged status 2 PATTERNS OF EARLY URBANISATION:  Some scholars argue that cities developed independently in several cultures and locales around the world.  Some scholars argue that cities diffused from a hearth (single point of origin/innovation).  Some of the earliest cities were found in Mesopotamia (birth place of the agricultural revolution) in modern day Middle East.  Sumeria (southern Mesopotamia) has been identified as a region with some of the earliest cities around 4750 B.C. 3  Other important hearths included; o Nile river valley o Yellow river valley o West Africa o Meso-America 4  Later development of large empires (Roman empire, Han and Tang empire in China, Islamic empire in the Middle East and North Africa) saw the growth of large cities.  Imperial Rome introduced sophisticated urban systems and grid iron street pattern planning.  Roman cities introduced mass housing, roman forum for political activity and massive public monuments. 5 6