History of City in Timeline

A city is a sizable human settlement, though its definition varies globally, sometimes encompassing small settlements. Generally, cities are permanent, densely populated areas with administrative boundaries, where residents primarily engage in non-agricultural work. They feature comprehensive systems for housing, transportation, sanitation, utilities, land use, production, and communication. The density of cities fosters interaction among people, government bodies, and businesses, potentially enhancing the efficiency of distributing goods and services.

1900: Percentage of World Population Living in Cities

In 1900, 15% of the world's population lived in cities, marking a significant point in the global urbanization trend.

1910: Manufacturing Centers Emerge in US

In the United States from 1860 to 1910, the introduction of railroads reduced transportation costs, and large manufacturing centers began to emerge, fueling migration from rural to city areas.

1927: Fritz Lang Conceives Metropolis

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

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1962: Release of The Fast Lady

By the 1960s, traffic congestion began to appear in such films as The Fast Lady released in 1962.

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1967: Release of Playtime

By the 1960s, traffic congestion began to appear in such films as Playtime released in 1967.

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1968: Armies Policing Cities

In 1968, during times of domestic turmoil, such as America's King assassination riots, armies may assume responsibility for policing cities.

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

In 1991, Saskia Sassen used the term "global city" in her work, "The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo" to refer to a city's power, status, and cosmopolitanism, rather than to its size.

1999: Cities Alliance Established

In 1999, the World Bank and UN-Habitat jointly established the Cities Alliance (based at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C.) to guide policymaking, knowledge sharing, and grant distribution around the issue of urban poverty.

2014: More than Half 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 population lives in cities.

2019: Study on Benefits of Time Spent in Nature

In 2019, a study published in Scientific Reports found that people who spent at least two hours per week in nature were 23 percent more likely to be satisfied with their life and were 59 percent more likely to be in good health.

2021: City Status in the UK

As of 2021, the United Kingdom's city status, awarded by the Crown, remains permanent with few exceptions and lacks official qualifying criteria, resulting in some small cities like St Davids.

2021: UN Endorses 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.