Cities in CivilizationRanging over 2,500 years,Cities in Civilizationis a tribute to the city as the birthplace of Western civilization. Drawing on the contributions of economists and geographers, of cultural, technological, and social historians, Sir Peter Hall examines twenty-one cities at their greatest moments. Hall describes the achievements of these golden ages and outlines the precise combinations of forces -- both universal and local -- that led to each city's belle epoque. Hall identifies four distinct expressions of civic innovation: artistic growth, technological progress, the marriage of culture and technology, and solutions to evolving problems. Descriptions of Periclean Athens, Renaissance Florence, Elizabethan London, and nineteenth-century Vienna bring to life those seedbeds of artistic and intellectual creativity. Explorations of Manchester during the Industrial Revolution, of Henry Ford's Detroit, and of Palo Alto at the dawn of the computer age highlight centers of technological advances. Tales of the creation of Los Angeles' movie industry and the birth of the blues and rock 'n' roll in Memphis depict the marriage of culture and technology. Finally, Hall celebrates cities that have been forced to solve problems created by their very size. With Imperial Rome came the apartment block and aqueduct; nineteenth-century London introduced policing, prisons, and sewers; twentieth-century New York developed the skyscraper; and Los Angeles became the first city without a center, a city ruled instead by the car. And in a fascinating conclusion, Hall speculates on urban creativity in the twenty-first century. This penetrating study reveals not only the lives of cities but also the lives of the people who built them and created the civilizations within them. A decade in the making,Cities in Civilizationis the definitive account of the culture of cities. |
Contents
The Fountainhead | 24 |
The Rediscovery of Life | 69 |
The World as Stage | 114 |
Copyright | |
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achieved American argued aristocratic Arkwright artists Athens audience B.B. King basic Bauhaus became began Berlin blues bourgeoisie building built capital capitalist cent central centre city's classic commercial cost country music created creative critical Cubism culture Detroit developed early economic electric electronics engineering entrepreneurs established factories firms Florence Florentine Ford Fujitsu German Glasgow Greek Haussmann historian Hollywood houses huge industry innovation integrated circuits invention Kanagawa Prefecture Keihin region labour Lancashire land later lived London major Manchester manufacturing Memphis metics miles million modern movie nineteenth century organization painters painting Paris perhaps Picasso plays political poor population problem production radio record revolution Rome sewers Siemens Silicon Valley social society streets studio theatre Tin Pan Alley Tokyo Toshiba trade tradition urban Vienna Viennese York