Defining “Cities”
Living in a city is becoming the norm. The World Bank anticipates that nearly 7 out of 10 people in the world will live in cities by 2050.
Those who enjoy mobility rights have the choice to relocate to urban centres and this trend has been continuously growing as more and more people search for employment and education opportunities, better health services, easy access to restaurants, art galleries, museums, and so many other social and cultural facilities. But what constitutes a “city”?
While reading different articles on cities and urban centres, I came across of what is perceived as a “city” in the United Kingdom:
“City status in the UK can be associated with having a cathedral or a university, a particular form of local government, or having a large population. Although any of these might be used to justify the popular use of the term ‘city’, in formal terms UK city status is granted by the monarch, on the advice of ministers.”
However, the UN focuses on one particualar feature and defines cities as:
“Densely populated area (cities): where at least 50% of the population live in high-density clusters/urban centres. In addition, each urban centre should have at least 75% of its population in a city.”
During our class discussion last week, we came up with different features of a city: density, population, transit system, culture, access to services, airports, employment and economic opportunities and so on. Therefore, an individual’s definition of a “city” may rely on different characteristics. Perhaphs architecture…
Planning and land use…
City Hall…
Economic opportunities, … social dynamics, … population concentration…
However, it is evident that much of what we define as a city relies on our own perceptions and experiences.
