ABSTRACT
Cities by their nature provoke a wide variety of sentiments. Urban life has been ecstatically praised and deeply loathed. In the literary world and in those places where current opinion is crafted, such sentiments continuously struggle for pride of place. In the social sciences efforts have been made over the years to assess the state of the urban question. Some have emphasised the glories of urbanity, others have concentrated on the miseries of life in the city, and some have propounded a balanced view through an appreciation of both sides of the coin simultaneously.
