Mumford,+What+is+a+City

From //Architectural Record// 1937
 * "What is a City?"**

Mumford was an American historian and Philosopher, and is considered one of the country's greatest (perhaps last) public intellectuals. Born in Queens, NY, he studied at the City College of New York and the New School for Social Research. His work includes nearly 25 persuasive volumes on social philosophy, literature and cultural history, technology, science, and urban planning. He was a man of many interests and is mostly remembered for his study of cities and their urban architecture. He has published nearly 25 persuasive volumes that have contributed to social He was also an architectural critic for the //New Yorker// magazine for 30 years.
 * Mumford, Lewis (October 19, 1895 - January 26, 1990)**

While harshly critical of urban sprawl, Mumford believes that cities are stages on which the "social drama" is acted out, a stage set on which actors (city dwellers) act the scripts of their lives. But he also sees the city as not only the setting for this drama, but also as something that affects the outcome of the story. Put differently, city life and cities themselves affect us as we go about our daily business, and this -- our actions, activities, and relationships within the city -- are as important as physical structures in determining what a city is. Thus, he is like contemporary Louis Wirth who also saw the city as influencing human relations and development. However, the impact of Wirth's city seems to be a lot more negative and anti-social than the city in Mumford's view.
 * Main Argument**

Mumford also pushed the concept of polynucleated cities (cities with multiple centers) as opposed to mononucleated cities (cities with one center). The benefit of polynucleated cities is that it would allow cities to keep on expanding while being divided up into districts. In other words, it would make the emerging sprawl more humanly comprehensible and practical, if not more manageable.


 * Other Ideas in the Article**
 * Limitations on size, density, and area are necessary for effective social intercourse and better sociological understanding.
 * Cities can promote positive social values among its citizens and enlarge the potential of human personalties and relationships.

This was an interesting article to read because it enlightens the reader about how connected human personality is with the cities in which they live.
 * Comments**

His ideas have been particularly influential. Other authors, such as Jane Jacobs, have adopted the idea of a social drama (although she calls it a street ballet), and others still argue with and against Mumford today.

--Leah Ritacco, Haide Wang, & Jack Rafferty