The Continuing City: Urban Morphology in Western Civilization

"We shape our houses but then they shape us." Winston Churchill said it, but James Vance explains it in the updated edition of his classic study of urban geography. The Continuing City focuses on the morphology of the city -- its physical form and structure -- and its power to influence the culture, society, and the day-to-day lives of inhabitants. Without endorsing rigid environmentalism, Vance's text offers a counterpoint to behavioral explanations of history by examining the city as a social phenomenon and cultural force. Although the physical remains of the past are often seen only as works of art, they are also revealing documents. The city is a living alternative to the historical record, one that is unedited by artists and chroniclers. Vance explains the significance of the "morphogenesis" of the city in Western civilization from its ceremonial and administrative function in the ancient world, through its decline with the rise of feudalism, to its reemergence as a commercial center in the late Middle Ages, and its continuing evolution in the modern era. He also explores the city's impact on social structure, demography, technology, mercantile economics, political power, religious and intellectual institutions, styles of art and architecture, and other topics.