城市

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城市(city)

一个较永久性和高度组织的人口集中地，比一个城镇或村庄规模大，地位也更重要。史上第一批城市在新石器时代出现，那时农业技术的发展已能生产出大量剩余谷物，足以供应一群永久性的非农业工人。希腊化时期创立了城邦，在罗马帝国出现时也是一种重要的组织，在中世纪的一些城市，如义大利的大贸易中心威尼斯、热那亚和佛罗伦斯，甚至恢复到早期城邦自治的、昌盛的自给自足状态。中世纪以後由於民族国家权力的增大，各城市越来越受中央集权政府的政治控制。城市不再是独立的政治体，而变为具有重要的行政功能。工业革命改变了城市生活，在英国、西北欧以及美国东北部，工厂林立的城市迅速蓬勃发展起来。到了20世纪中叶，一个国家人口约有30～60%居住在大都市中心。20世纪的运输技术（尤其是汽车）导致郊区和住宅区的成立，那里的生活条件不那麽拥挤，离开工业污染较远。但是，这种所谓的「城市延伸」带来了一系列的新问题，如城市中心交通拥挤和汽车废气造成污染等。工业扩展初期所建的工厂和住宅，许多已经年久成为废物。商店移入新营业所，工厂迁到新厂房，使得内城部分居民处於高度失业状态，一筹莫展。如今地方政府试图透过城市规画来解决这些问题。

English version：

city

Relatively permanent and highly organized center of population, of greater size or importance than a town or village. The first cities appeared in Neolithic times when the development of agricultural techniques assured surplus crop yields large enough to sustain a permanent population. The Hellenistic period saw the creation of the city-state, a form also important in the emergence of the Roman empire as well as the medieval Italian trading centers of Venice, Genoa, and Florence. After the Middle Ages, cities came increasingly under the political control of centralized government and served the interests of the nation-state. The Industrial Revolution further transformed city life, as factory cities blossomed rapidly in England, northwestern Europe, and the northeastern U.S. By the mid-20th century, 30-60% of a country's population might be living in its major urban centers. With the rise of the automobile came the growth of suburbs and urban sprawl, as factories, offices, and residences erected in earlier periods became aged and obsolete. Today many cities suffer from lack of adequate housing, sanitation, recreational space, and transportation facilities, and face problems of inner-city decay or burgeoning shantytowns. Local governments have sought to alleviate these problems through urban planning.

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