How do heterogenetic cities encourage technical and cultural change?

In the context of urban sociology, Robert Redfield and Milton Singer defined cities with a heterogenetic cultural role as centers of technical and economic change.1

These cities encourage innovation through the presence of an intelligentsia that actively challenges traditional methods and questions established social practices. By functioning as hubs for the creation and introduction of new ideas, cosmologies, and social practices, heterogenetic cities serve as innovative cultural centers that influence the wider society.1

Unlike orthogenetic cities, which focus on the construction and codification of a society’s existing traditions, heterogenetic cities—such as London, Marseille, or New York—are characterized by their capacity to foster change and introduce novel ways of thinking and living into the broader culture.1