Notions concerning the nature of world urbanization

Cities have existed for over 5000 years. Despite their ancient origin, cities have survived all subsequent socio-cultural changes: they were vital entities to the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Moslems, Middle-Ages Europeans, and with the rise of modernity they played a major role in the industrial revolution. And today, on the verge of the 20th century cities are still at the centre of our life. There are many views as to what constitutes 'a city'. The one suggested here is that it is a concept and a cognitive category. This approach follows their changing images as reflected in the literature and asks, have cities really changed this way, or is it just our imagination that compulsively reinterprets the world around us, the cities we live in? Are our images passive, or do they react with cities and shape them? And if so, what would 21st century cities look like in light of our present self-organization and chaotic images of reality?