The City
Quick Summary
Max Weber defined an urban community by five key attributes: a fortification, a market, its own law code and court system, an association of citizens creating a sense of corporate identity, and sufficient political autonomy for citizens to elect their leaders. Weber contrasted "Occidental" urbanism with "Oriental" urbanism, suggesting that Oriental cities often lacked these characteristics due to strong familial or tribal identities preventing unified citizen action against state control. His work, The City (1921), contributed to the understanding of urban cultures, though his definition was considered by some to be too narrow, particularly in excluding many pre-modern cities.12
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.