ABSTRACT
In his essay on mental life and the city, Georg Simmel wrote of the ‘intensification of nervous stimulation’ wrought by the city upon the psyche of its inhabitants. In particular, Simmel focused on the tempo of the city, and this was determined by its traffic. This was potentially an anarchic disharmonious force when left to itself; but when harnessed and channelled, its rhythms and flows became a positive force, while the parameters of its organization gave shape to the physical environment.
