ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a series of themes and guiding ideas adopted mainly from writings in the new urban sociology. It argues that the nature of the variation among cities develops for two major reasons. One is the historical conjuncture at which cities emerge, and the other is the series of stages through which cities develop, giving evidence of a life cycle. The chapter also argues that history is very import ant to understanding the manner by which cities in America have developed. It discloses that certain elements become inscribed into the very structure of cities, the main one in America having been the territorial boundaries that separate cities and suburbs and that have accounted for so much of the conflict in metropolitan areas. The purpose of metropolitan government structures has been to provide an efficient and effective vehicle for furnishing services to people who reside in different municipalities in metropolitan areas.
