ABSTRACT
Cities are complex entities representing the most durable achievements of human civilisation. Their tangible nature, as well as their image and what they symbolise, is a field of research in economics, geography, history, sociology, psychology, architecture, urban planning and art. The importance of cities, throughout human history and in the contemporary, is beyond question, and it has been argued many times in many contexts. Cities are centres of social and economic activity, places where ideas and innovations emerge. They are places where millions of people live near each other, either supporting the informal networks of cooperation and solidarity or struggling because of conflicts, inequalities and lack of mutual respect. Relations between nature and the city are complex, but two main perspectives can be identified. One places urban life and urban space in opposition to nature.
