ABSTRACT
Cities not only in Britain but also in the United States have reacted to this population crisis with schemes to attract back owner-occupiers from their suburban rings. This chapter looks at the historical growth and decline of present day cities and the processes which have shaped them. The first section of the Glasgow tramway opened in 1872; prior to this date, although there were some horse-drawn omnibus services, the principal means by which the people moved about the city was by walking. In this brief analysis of urban change, the chapter attempts to standardise for the changing administrative boundaries of cities. One major factor in the process of urban change is the influence of transport technologies in enabling people to live at greater and greater distances from their work and the city centre. If the nineteenth century saw the growth of urban society, the twentieth century has seen the development of the conurbations as cities and their surrounding towns coalesced.
