Development theory and

Urban History

Critical Review of The Natural History of Urbanization,

Lewis Mumford, 1956

Urban Design M.Arch, S1

Reshma Mariam Georgi

9/2/2017
 Critical Review of The Natural History of Urbanization, Lewis Mumford, 1956

Through this paper, the author examines the process of urbanization through history from ancient times
till the formation of cities today. According to the author, it is a topic of which little has been written, so
his purpose is to use the limited existing knowledge to identify the potential of this field of study. He
divides this history into 3 stages based on the level of urbanization.

Emergence of the City

First part talks of emergence of the city from its ancient forms, as far back as animal species and their
habitats. The author suggests that by looking at the ancient settlements, one may be able to derive the
tangible outline of the city as well as pattern of life inside it.

Mumford states that the village is the ancestral form of the city during the Neolithic period, which was
formed with the shift in economy from food gathering to food cultivation or farming. This village is
described as being small and simplistic but having similarities to the city such as the palisades, storage of
food, permanency of houses and refuse collection and burial grounds. At this stage he claims the
relationship between nature and the city is balanced.

The author credits better cultivation practices, animal husbandry and long term grain storage for the
emergence of the city from the village. With less manpower required for food growing, members could
diversify into new fields such as administration, arts, religion etc. The author classifies these early cities
as agricultural towns based on the fact that their main source of food was in its immediate periphery.
On the basis of this he states that most of the worlds population resided in this Neolithic village setting
as late as the 1930s.

Urban Symbiosis and Dominance

Second part of paper speaks of the next phase of urbanization which with the advent of metallurgy and
long distance trading led to empowerment of man and overcoming of physical limits with subsequent
classifications based on work, caste and a general indifference for human welfare. This was contrary to
the previous Neolithic town which was somewhat cooperative.

The author proposes that perhaps the city wall had a formative role in the evolution of the city; it
created a defensible site which attracted refugees and eventually would become one community.

The author draws the line between village and city on the basis of two facts. The first was the presence
of an organized social core which manifested itself in difference in materials, treatment given to
structures of different social functions. The example cited here is of a temple made of more permanent
and expensive materials while houses being made of more common material as the village. The second
was the tendency of the citys inhabitants to make their dwellings as detached as possible from natural
surroundings as to reinforce the impression of mans independence.

According to Mumford the affordance of security and social continuity had a great impact for the city as
it meant that its inhabitants were no longer at struggle with nature. The irony the author points out is
that once man was able to protect himself from nature, he then found himself having to defend himself
against the violence of his own kind.

Urban displacement of Nature

From the fall of civilizations, the author understands that the detachment of the city from nature is
based on the belief that the city is self-sufficient dismissing thoughts of replenishment of the resources
being consumed. Due to this, cities lacked many natural elements necessary for quality living, this is
seen in the treatment of ailments with the prescription for a retreat to a village in a nature setting. The
author draws the conclusion that though man has become dominant he has not yet safeguarded his
position by acknowledging his dependence on nature.

The author says that most cities reach a critical point where there are no longer in balance with nature
and natural resources are being worn-out. At this point development becomes more intensive and
competitive, encroaching the surrounding land and resources.

The author cites the example of Rome where the symbiotic relationship of the city turns parasitic
because of the building up of demands. He draws the conclusion that the more developed and
independent a city may seem the more grave retributions for that region. He says this example proves
that foresight is required to understand the consequences of the present urbanization.

Modern forces of expansion

Mumford notes the 19th century as the third stage of urbanization wherein it begins to reach full
crescendo, as compared to the first and second stages where the economy was primarily agro based.
The author credits formation of this stage to two factors, the 3 fold increase in population from the 17th
century onwards and technological innovations making mass production possible.

So the 19th century saw the growth of cities surpassing the four natural limits of food and water supply,
walls and ramparts, transportation, and power limit to production. Development spread where they
could lay tracks for the steam engine; slopes greater than 2 per cent being the only limitation. The
author draws the conclusion that cities thus consume and exhaust land far beyond the immediate
extent of the city.

Suburban overspill

Next develops a new urban tissue, a desire to escape city conditions spurs the suburban movement
wherein those who could afford it commute daily to residences outside city core. The 1920s saw the
increase of the private motor car which encouraged further movement to suburbs. This however did not
lead to any reciprocated decentralization, but sustained a pattern similar to the older settlements which
was influenced by capitalist economy, and supported by Americas investment in public infrastructure.
Hence he concludes that the suburb grew to an extent that served to negate the effects desired by the
movement.
The suburbs also created loss of valuable agricultural land through its demands for transport and
services. In Britain, only government intervention has saved such land. Here the author advocates his
stand on the urban sprawl and its negative effects.

The author notes that suburbs are not the only consumers of land; demand for large tracts of land exists
for factories, airports, sewage plants, garbage disposal etc. Urban cemeteries also have a rising land
requirement with the increasing population and limited land available at the city centers, so much so
that the author warns that the spaces for the dead may threaten to crowd those of the living.

Urban rural Balance

The author notes that the current population is the largest it has been in history, hence a new fact in
human settlement history. Within a century, the western world shifted base from rural to metropolitan
with vast consumption and depletion of natural resources. Hence, he says, some new limits must be
made to replace the natural ones that were surpassed.

Proposals included reducing the scale of industry (Fields, Factories, and Workshops [Kropotkin, 1899])
and self-contained communities supported by local industries, a combination of the town and city
(Tomorrow, Howard, 1898) called Garden City. This gained popularity because it understood the social
factors that prompted the suburban movement. This idea led to the new towns act of 1947 with the
establishment of 14 such towns.

Other proposals based on the Garden City concept include Stein and Wrights idea of a new city that was
conscious of its environment and in balance with it. In this, the city would consciously plan for this
balance rather than leaving it to the masses.

The author summarizes that through looking at history, one gets an idea of the future task that lay
ahead for achieving a balanced urbanization of cities. The author concludes his survey saying that the
climax of urbanization was not a city aloof to nature or the complete disappearance of the city but a
judicious approach to planning cities that balances population needs with the replenishment or
conservation of resources.