Trace the historical development/emergence and evolution of the city to preindustrial cities

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Urban sociology is a subfield of sociology that examines social relationships and political and economic structures in the city. According to urban sociologists, a city is a relatively dense and permanent settlement of people who secure their livelihood primarily through nonagricultural activities. Cities are a relatively recent innovation when compared with the length of human existence. The earliest humans are believed to have emerged anywhere from 40,000 to 1,000,000 years ago, and permanent human settlements are believed to have begun first about 8000 B.C.E. According to sociologist Gideon Sjoberg, three preconditions must be present in order for a city to develop:

1 . A favorable physical environment—including climate and soil favorable to the development of plant and animal life and an adequate water supply to sustain both.

2 . An advanced technology—(for that era) that could produce a social surplus in both agricultural and nonagricultural goods.

3 . A well-developed social organization—including a power structure, in order to provide social stability to the economic system.

Sjoberg places the first cities in the Middle Eastern region of Mesopotamia or in areas immediately adjacent to it at about 3500 B.C.E. The earliest cities were not large by today's standards. The population of the larger Mesopotamian centers was between 5,000 and 10,000 . The largest preindustrial city was Rome; by 100 C.E., it may have had a population of 650,000 . With the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 C.E., the nature of European cities changed. Seeking protection and survival, those persons who lived in urban settings typically did so in walled cities containing no more than 25,000 people. For the next 600 years, the urban population continued to live in walled enclaves, as competing warlords battled for power and territory during the "dark ages." Slowly, as trade increased, cities began to tear down their walls.

Preindustrial cities were limited in size by a number of factors. For one thing, crowded housing conditions and a lack of adequate sewage facilities increased the hazards from plagues and fires, and death rates were high. For another, food supplies were limited. Finally, migration to the city was difficult. In spite of these problems, many preindustrial cities had a sense of community—a set of social relationships operating within given spatial boundaries or locations that provided people with a sense of identity and a feeling of belonging. The preindustrial cities were full of people from all walks of life, both rich and poor, and they felt a high degree of social integration.