Chapter 3 – What is a City

“The city, however, does not tell its past, but contains it like the lines of a hand, written in the corners of the streets, the gratings of the windows, the banisters of the steps, the antennae of the lightening rods, the poles of the flags, every segment marked in turn with scratches, indentations, scrolls.” (Calvino 1974; p.11)

In order to revise any depiction of the city, we need to first take a look at what makes a city a city. Cities are formed and understood across a number of layers and there are many factors that define and contribute to a specific identity. Within this wealth of characteristics that define a city there must surely be more scope for representing the city.