The City in History


I recently finished reading Lewis Mumford‘s 600-page masterpiece, “The City in History.”  I think I folded more corners and underlined more paragraphs than I ever have before.  But to help myself understand the form of cities in the time periods described by Mumford, I drew them out.  I refrained from things like the neighborhood unit and the garden city, for which there are entire books, but drew the basic features of cities in different periods and places.  So, with no further ado, here is my illustrated guide to Mumford’s “The City in History.”

Mesopotamian City

Egyptian City

Greek City

Greek Colony

Roman City

Medieval City

Baroque City

Commercial City

Industrial City

Early Suburb

Conurbation

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