What is a City?

What is a City?



Cities can be defined in many ways. Interestingly, in the United Kingdom the City status is granted by the monarchy, implying a sense of privilege upon a place. Traditionally, a place in the UK can be defined as a city depending on the presence of a cathedral. This historical methodology creates a sense of hierarchy throughout the United Kingdom and has quite a religious undertone to it. Globally, cities are defined differently. When one thinks of a city, it is immediately thought of as a densely defined space in which commercial and administrative activity takes place. However, in modern times it is true that roughly half of the global population now lives within this type of space. One might argue that due to this, a city may be defined by the people and the community that they create within it. Furthermore, people create a culture that ultimately defines how the city is viewed by the rest of the world. For example, in Paris, the city is not particularly recognised for its administrative system, but for its fashion, food and art. This is because these themes have an emotive impact on us, and our personal tastes define who we are as people. This underlines the importance of recognising the impact of humanity upon a place. Alongside this, architecture also depicts a sense of identity within a city. Buildings are often used as a representation of place in various ways, whether it be one monumental building or the vernacular style that reflects the materiality of a country. One might argue that this combination of architecture, the arts and culture comes together to define a City.