Urban World History: An Economic and Geographical Perspective

Does the urbanization's long history present identifiable regularities through time and space? Are there long run trends in the development process? In the complex evolution of human societies are there other determining factors than political decisions, statesmen, wars, economic crises, religions, races, cultures, languages, and sociological values? Is the geographical space a simple setting or is it a major element of the urban world evolution? Those are some fundamental questions this book addresses in an original way that mixes historical facts, a world scope, an encyclopaedic culture, reflections, and space-economic theory. From Çatalhöyük and Jericho to London, Sao Paulo, Los Angeles, Johannesburg, Shanghai and Tokyo, it reconstitutes the fascinating journey of the urban evolutions.