ABSTRACT
Urbanization is as old as civilization. As societies change and develop, urbanization tends to be part and parcel of that development. In fact, the evolution of the city has mirrored human development in a symbiotic way. Mankind's chief glory has always been its cities. They represent all that is best in human endeavor: the ability to plan, to construct, and to live together in comity. Cities are evidence of mankind's ability to reshape the environment to better suits its needs, and to exhibit the best that can be produced by human hands and minds, not just in engineering terms but in architecture and the arts as well. Cities also act as crucibles of change; the way a society will develop is often first discerned in a city. They have been the birthplace of art, culture, and commerce and have enabled us to be who we are today.
