European+cities

**UNIT 15 EUROPEAN CITIES ** 
 * SOCIAL STUDIES. Summaries in English ** 
 * EUROPEAN CITIES’ HISTORY **

The first cities were built about 6,000 years ago ( **Mesopotamia, Egypt, India **). European cities were built later. During the **Early Modern ** period, improvements were made to the cities: great palaces with gardens, churches and other monuments.
 * Ancient Greece **had over 500 cities, such as Sparta and Athens. Greek cities had two focal points: the **agora ** or public market place, and the **acropolis **, where the temples were located. **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Roman cities **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> formed the biggest urban network in ancient times. Rome was the capital of the Empire. Roman cities were built to a grid plan.There were two main streets: the **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">cardo **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> and the **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">decumanus **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. The **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">forum **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, at the intersection of these streets, was a square where the most important buildings were found.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Medieval cities **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> were surrounded by a **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">wall **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. The street plan was **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">irregular **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> and the most important buildings were located in the **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">centre **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">EUROPEAN INDUSTRIAL CITIES **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">

In north-west Europe, industrialization began in the 18th century. In other parts of Europe, industrialization developed in the 19th and 20th centuries. Cities grew fast as people left the countryside, and moved to areas with factories. Medieval city walls were knocked down so that the cities could grow. There were different districts in industrial cities:
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Working-class districts **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. The workers lived in unhealthy conditions, in small and crowded houses near the factories.
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Middle-class districts **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. These were often in newer areas of the city. They had wide avenues, luxurious buildings and good services.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Water **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">gas **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> and ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">electricity **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> were brought to the cities, and sewage systems were built. **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Trams **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> and the first metro lines were also introduced.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">AN URBAN POPULATION **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">

Today, about 80% of the European Union’s population is **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">urban **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. Most people live in towns or medium-sized cities. London and Paris are the largest cities in the EU. City outskirts grew considerably during the second half of the 20th century. Housing estates, industrial estates, business parks, and shopping and leisure centres were built there.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">SPAIN: FROM RURAL TO URBAN **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">

The Spanish population has changed in a short time. In 1960, more than half the population was rural, but only about a quarter is rural today. Younger people moved to the cities and the rural population aged. Recently, however, some villages have become popular again. Old houses are used as second homes. Other places have become **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">dormitory towns **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> for nearby cities. Most of the big cities are located on the coast, with the exception of Madrid.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">THE URBAN HIERARCHY **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">

Madrid and Barcelona are **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">national metropolises **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, because of their political, economic, and cultural influence on the rest of the country. Cities like Bilbao, Valencia and Seville are **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">regional metropolises **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, which are centres of commerce, culture, administration and education. Medium-sized cities and towns are service centres for their provinces. Finally, there are smaller towns, with less than 50,000 inhabitants.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Sub-regional metropolises **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, like Vigo or Alicante, provide specialized services for their areas, such as universities or large hospitals.