Title & Author:

Megalopolis : the giant city in history / edited by Theo Barker and Anthony Sutcliffe.

Publication:

New York, N.Y. : St. Martin's Press, 1993.

Description:

xi, 213 pages : maps ; 23 cm

Notes:
Fourteen papers, revised for publication, originally presented at the International Historical Congress, held in Madrid in 1990.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Preface / Theo Barker -- 1. Introduction: The Giant City as a Historical Phenomenon / Anthony Sutcliffe -- 2. Rome: A Pre-industrial Megalopolis / H. W. Pleket -- 3. The Densely Populated Areas in Areas China: Their Types and Effects on Historical Development / Ge Jianxion -- 4. London: A Unique Megalopolis? / Theo Barker -- 5. Port Functions, Innovation and the Making of the Megalopolis / Josef W. Konvitz -- 6. 'An Imperial Amsterdam'? The St Petersburg Age in Northern Europe / Max Engman -- 7. The Impact of Moscow on the Development of Russia / Ya. E. Vodarsky -- 8. Berlin (1871-1939) -- Megalopolis Manque? / Gerhard Brunn -- 9. Some Reflections on the Concept of Megalopolis and its Use by Patrick Geddes and Lewis Mumford / Helen Meller -- 10. Anglo-Saxon Cities on the Pacific Rim / Lionel Frost -- 11. Bangkok: From Primate City to Primate Megalopolis / Malcolm Falkus -- 12. Cities and Culture: An Embarrassed Silence / D. J. Olsen -- 13. Sao Paulo: The Quintessential, Uninhibited Megalopolis as seen by Blaise Cendrars in the 1920s / Nicolau Sevcenko -- 14. Megalopolis Unbound: Decentralisation and the End of Metropolitan Culture / Robert Fishman.

Summary:

This book draws on the experience of a team of the world's finest urban historians to answer a perennial question: why has the urbanised world always generated a small number of cities which are far larger than all the others, and which appear to dominate whole countries, continents, or even the whole world? Two thousand years ago, an area covering most of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East was ruled from Rome. From 1650 to 1914, London was the new Rome, capital of the largest empire the world had ever seen and the financial centre of the world's largest industrial economy. Now, New York is the major world city, but it has already been overtaken in size by Mexico City, Sao Paulo, and other third world cities. Moving through time, these cities look very different, yet their size and dominance suggest that they have a timeless function which means that, whatever their defects and problems, the giant cities will always be with us. The studies in this book follow the evolution of the megalopolis across the world from its origins in ancient times to its current dominant position in both the industrialised world and the third world. In-depth studies are devoted to the key giant cities of human history at decisive points in their growth. The case studies include Rome, London, St Petersburg, Moscow, Bangkok, and Berlin. Additional studies deal with the general characteristics of the megalopolis, stressing its implications for cultural life.

Resources:
Table of contents

ISBN:

0333532015
9780333532010
0312091478
9780312091477

Subject:

Metropolitan areas History Congresses.
Cities and towns History Congresses.
Megacities History Congresses.
Agglomérations urbaines Histoire Congrès.
Villes Histoire Congrès.
Mégalopoles Histoire Congrès.
Megacities
Cities and towns
Metropolitan areas
Geschichte
Metropole
Kongress
Megapolis.
Agglomeraties.
Cities History

Form/genre:

Kongreß Madrid 1990.
Conference papers (document genres)
Conference papers and proceedings
History

Added entries:

Barker, T. C. (Theodore Cardwell), 1923-
Sutcliffe, Anthony, 1942-2011.
Sutcliffe, Anthony, 1942-
International Congress of Historical Sciences (17th : 1990 : Madrid, Spain)
International Conference of Historical Sciences (17th : 1990 : Madrid, Spain)

Holdings:

Location: Library main 189441
Call No.: ID HT330.M425; ID:94-B481
Status: Available