Abstract

What do the concepts “city” and Urban” mean? I explore a approaches to defining cities and urbanism. Definitions depend on research questions and goals. Sometimes it is important to have a clear definition of a concept like city, and sometimes definitions just get in the way of our understanding. I also explore the forces that drive nonurban or rural people to move into cities, and I discuss some of the social effects of city living. I close by reviewing the top-down and bottom up (generative) forces that structure urban life.    

Lecture 1 in a series of lectures with the general topic: Cities Before the Modern Era: Population, Functions and Urban Life.