Abstract
We argue cities exist are the result of economics forces of agglomeration mediated by technological progress. That is, urban growth is fuelled by economically advantageous division of labour. Available technology is the most important constraint to city growth. However, other factors such as political stability, peace and the control of plagues are also important.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Most of our historical claims are standard and can be checked in any universal history manual, see for instance Gombrich (2005) for a fairly comprehensive world history up to the twentieth century.
Reference
Gombrich, E. H. (2005). A little history of the world. Yale University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd., part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Guillen, P., Komac, U. (2020). Why Cities Exist?. In: City Form, Economics and Culture. SpringerBriefs in Architectural Design and Technology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5741-5_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5741-5_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-15-5739-2
Online ISBN: 978-981-15-5741-5
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)