Metropolis: A History of the City, Humankind's Greatest Invention by Ben Wilson. A review.

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Metropolis: A History of the City, Humankind’s Greatest Invention, by Ben Wilson (Doubleday2020)

A review 

For those of us who love cities, and have devoted our lives and ministries to living and working in them, Ben Wilson has made an invaluable contribution to our urban library and understanding of the city.  . His Metropolis: A History of the City, Humankind’s Greatest Invention, Wilson tells the story of the city from the very first  in Mesopotamia, Uruk, to the paradigmatic global megacity of the moment, Lagos, Nigeria. And in the process makes the case that it is the unique nature of the city that has produced most of what we call civilization. Wilson chooses some twenty cities whose dynamics defined the city of their time and through them explores the significance of those dynamics. Of course there’s Babylon and Baghdad, Athens and Alexandria, the expected Rome, Paris, London, New York and Chicago. But also Tenochtitlan and Malacca. And the story of Warsaw, its destruction and rise from literal ashes. 

There are cities that have their day and then vanish only to be unearthed  centuries later. And cities that have passed through several recreations.  In addition to the specific character of theses cities, Wilson also explores the significance to the city of :

*Sex

* Baths 

*Street food 

*Tourism

*Walking

…..and how the experience of many of these has been radically different for men and women.  And how animals have become urbanized, distinct from their relative in the wild. 

We also see the historic importance of city states over against nation states, a historic reality that seems to be once again a significant factor in how the world runs. 

(It’s interesting to  note that Wilson reports that according to scientific research, the closer to the  city center you are, the less obese and more happy you are.)

Historically, there is much here to wrestle with. Even as we critique our past of settler colonialism and empire, westerners have tried to hold on to the fantasy that cruel as that history is, at least somehow we had brought civilization to undeveloped peoples. Wilson reminds us that while Europe was in the  dark ages, it was Islam and cities  like Alexandria that protected and preserved the shared collective wisdom and knowledge of humanity. Asia too had centers of culture.  Africa and Asia could be said to be actually ahead of Europe in terms of civilization when the age of discovery began. Intercontinental and cross civilization trade was well established long before our day. It was, for example, Asia’s tradition of open trade and cities that lay it vulnerable to the controlled and militarized monopoly practice of Europe. The globalization we speak of as if it were new is the historic reality of cities.

As Christians, we have to wrestle with the fact that Christendom’s intolerance of other faiths was a driving factor in terns of how western colonial imperialism encountered the world. Judaism and islam, for example, both have their histories of chauvinism, but of these three, only Christianity has a core theology of an exclusive truth claim, or only route to “salvation,” itself an essentially Christian concern. 

Another insight comes  from the fact that the Judeo-Christian tradition is at heart anti-urban. Sodom and Gomorrah, Babylon become  the very essence of depravity, sinfulness and exploitation. Cultures of Asia, Africa, Meso America do not have an equivalent anti-urban mythology, In fact, cities are often seen as the abode of the gods. These traditional biases survive into our own day and are seen even in the most recent US election where coastal ‘“urban elites” serve as Babylon for the MAGA Americans. 

Wilson explores a trend many of us in urban ministry have long noticed, that is the urbanization of the suburbs and the ever growing impact of low density urban sprawl as developed in greater Los Angeles and can be seen in  places like the southern Long Island Coast and the NJT corridor. The boundaries between city and suburb have long been disappearing. 

Globally, the tension between “planned”development, like China’s new cities and “informal” development, like post war Tokyo continue to play out in the global south. (Parenthetically, Wilson points  out that China has replaced the US as the major influence and development  partner throughout South American and Africa.) What’s important to note is that  always where there appears to be chaos, a deeper level of order and organization has creatively  been  worked out by the people who live there. In some respects, the old Jane Jacobs - Robert Moses struggle continues in places like Rio, Lagos and Mumbai. Especially significant is the reality that 61% of the world’s population works off the books in the informal economy accounts for 23% of the world’s economy.  And so it has been for over 5000 years. 

The fact is The world’s urban population grows by 200,000 every day and by 2050, two thirds of the world’s population will live in cities.  Wilson states that our survival as a species depends on the “next chapter of our urban odyssey.”  The future won’t be determined by “technocrats” or “master planners.” It will  made by “…billions…living in megacities”…”the majority of humans will live in informal settlements and work in the DIY economy as has been the case  …over the last 5000 years. They are the people who build cities and keep them going, surviving on their ingenuity and resourcefulness and responding to  changes in the wider environment. When the energy runs low, and cities become hotter and harsher, they will be the ones who improvise solutions if they are allowed, if history  is any guide, they will succeed,”

Wlson’s book is informative but even more, inspiring. Our urban future is one of challenge. But also hope.