History of City in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: April 27, 2026

A city is a sizable human settlement, though the term's definition varies globally. While size thresholds differ, cities are generally characterized as permanent, densely populated areas with defined boundaries where residents primarily engage in non-agricultural activities. Cities feature comprehensive infrastructure for housing, transportation, sanitation, utilities, land management, production, and communication. Their high density fosters interactions between individuals, governmental bodies, and businesses, potentially enhancing the efficiency of goods and service distribution.

1900: Urban Population Growth

In 1900, 15% of the world's population lived in cities, marking a significant increase due to the agricultural and industrial revolutions and the cultural appeal of urban centers.

1910: Manufacturing Centers Emerge in the US

In the United States, by 1910, the introduction of railroads led to lower transportation costs, and large manufacturing centers began to emerge, which stimulated migration from rural to city areas.

1927: Fritz Lang conceives Metropolis

In 1927, Fritz Lang conceived the idea for his film Metropolis after visiting Times Square, marveling at the nighttime neon lighting.

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1962: Release of The Fast Lady

In 1962, traffic congestion began to appear in films such as The Fast Lady.

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1967: Release of Playtime

In 1967, traffic congestion appeared in films such as Playtime.

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1968: King Assassination Riots

In 1968, during the King assassination riots in America, armies assumed responsibility for policing cities due to the domestic turmoil.

1991: Publication of "The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo"

In 1991, Saskia Sassen published "The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo", which introduced the term "global city" to refer to a city's power, status, and cosmopolitanism.

1999: Cities Alliance Established

In 1999, the World Bank and UN-Habitat jointly established the Cities Alliance to guide policymaking, knowledge sharing, and grant distribution around urban poverty.

2014: More Than Half of the World Population Lives in Cities

In 2014, the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs reported that, for the first time, more than half of the world's population lives in cities.

2019: Study on Health Benefits of Nature

In 2019, a study published in Scientific Reports found that spending at least two hours per week in nature improved life satisfaction and health, based on data from almost 20,000 people in the UK.

2021: City Status in the UK

As of 2021, St Davids in the United Kingdom has a population of 1,751, highlighting the lack of official qualifying criteria for city status, which is awarded by the Crown and remains permanent with few exceptions.

2021: UN Endorsement of Urbanization Metric

In March 2021, the United Nations endorsed a metric, devised by the European Commission, OECD, World Bank, and others, to define a city as having at least 50,000 inhabitants in contiguous dense grid cells, primarily for international statistical comparison.