City as a Social Construct
Is it possible that the idea of city remain forever?
In 2021, a new international definition of city was endorsed by the United State and many urban areas sadly fell short of the criteria. The fact that the UN had such influence on what is defined as a city got me thinking.
Similarly, city is a socially constructed term, thus its definition can be altered by us.
Aristotle shared a similar view with the social constructionist as he stated that “the city is the natural stage for our innate political inclinations and our highest aspirations”.
Geoffrey West and Luis Bettencourt are Physicists studying cities around the world as they try to understand how they work. They compared cities to complex systems that arose from nature like organisms, bee hives, and ecosystems. It’s interesting how cities are regarded by many as “living” while they are mainly consisted of machinery and buildings (well, the only living part is human).
Nonetheless, today the distinction between cities, towns, and villages has seemed to become more vague. The only major deciding features are population and density, as suggested by the UN.
According to the World Bank, as of 2020, about 56% of world’s population live in cities. By 2050, more than 70% of population will live in urbanized areas. Clearly city and population are expanding at a unstoppable rate.
Considering the fact that world’s population has been surging over the century and may eventually reach an extraordinarily high number, I wonder if the concept of city will be worth keeping. Because It is possible that EVERYONE lives in city in the future. If migrating to Mars remains a fantastic dream , the Earth will be packed one day. If that ever happens — congratulations, you’ve unlocked a new achievement of 100% urbanized world!
References:
Bainbridge, C. (2022, July 20). Why people make social constructs and how they can change. Verywell Mind. Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://www.verywellmind.com/definition-of-social-construct-1448922
Moore, O. (2021, October 3). What makes a city a city, officially? Kelowna and Sudbury might be in for a surprise. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-what-makes-a-city-a-city-officially-kelowna-and-sudbury-might-be-in/
World Bank. (n.d.). Urban Development Overview. World Bank. Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/urbandevelopment/overview
