ABSTRACT
As scholars have stressed1,2 cities have been integral to the rise of civilizations, an assertion that may apply with equal force to today’s “industrial civilization.”3 This civilization cuts across all regional and national boundaries and is a still-evolving outcome of the industrial revolution. Machines (e.g. to produce textiles, to transport goods) operated by steam engines were in the earliest wave of industrialization in Britain, and their manufacture was concentrated around major cities such as London and Manchester. Other cities such as Chicago, Shanghai, Calcutta, Pittsburgh, Milan, and Barcelona (and others too numerous to mention) also grew rapidly in terms of population, outputs, and the accretion of manifold industrial capabilities. Though the days of the sovereign city-state are long gone (apart from possible exceptions such as Singapore and the Vatican), the basic actions-e.g. specialization, labor pools, trade-that led to their success nearly seven centuries ago are no less vital today. The availability of pools of skilled labor, a focus on select products, and trade with other cities were a hallmark of those early cities. Convenient transportation, affordable housing, modern educational institutions, accessible recreational outlets, and so on, characterize today’s thriving industrial urban centers. London, Austin, São Paulo, Beijing, and Bangkok exemplify cities that have become centers for production and service-driven businesses.
