On the causes of the greatness and magnificence of cities, 1588 / / Giovanni Botero ; translation and introduction by Geoffrey Symcox

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910452485103321
• Autore: Botero Giovanni <1540-1617, >
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Toronto, [Ontario] ; ; Buffalo, [New York] ; ; London, [England] : , : University of Toronto Press, , 2012; ©2012
• ISBN: 1-4426-6541-6
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (136 p.)
• Collana: Lorenzo Da Ponte Italian Library
• Disciplina: 307.76
• Soggetti: Cities and towns; Urban economics; Sociology, Urban; Electronic books.
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Translated from the Italian.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Note on the Translation -- Dedication to Duchess Cornelia Orsini di Altemps -- Book I -- 1. What Is a Great City -- 2. On Authority -- 3. On Force -- 4. On Laying Waste the Lands of Neighbours -- 5. On Removing Peoples from Their Own Countries to Our City -- 6. On Pleasure -- 7. On Utility -- 8. On the Convenience of the Site -- 9. On the Fertility of the Land -- 10. On Convenience for Transport -- Book II -- 1. -- 2. On the Particular Methods Employed by the Romans -- 3. On Colonies -- 4. On Religion -- 5. On Universities -- 6. On Courts of Justice -- 7. On Industry -- 8. On Fiscal Privileges -- 9. On the Possession of Some Valuable Commodity -- 10. On Political Dominion -- 11. On the Residence of the Nobility -- 12. On the Residence of the Prince -- Book III -- 1. -- 2. Why Cities Do Not Grow Proportionately -- 3. On the Causes That Maintain a City's Greatness -- A Treatise. How Many People Rome Might Have Contained at the Height of Its Greatness -- Bibliography of Works Cited -- Index
• Sommario/riassunto: The first treatise ever written on the sociology of cities, On the Causes of the Greatness and Magnificence of Cities (1588) marked a radical ; departure from previous literature on urban centres. It provided a revolutionary analysis of how cities function, and of the political, economic, demographic and geographic factors that cause their growth and decline. Noteworthy too is Botero's strikingly original use of sources in his analysis: moving beyond familiar classical and biblical references, he drew groundbreaking insights from reports by travelers and missionaries about cities in the non-European world, especially in China.Though seminally important to the history of urban studies, On the Causes of the Greatness and Magnificence of Cities has not been available in a modern translation until now. This edition of the treatise - which includes an introduction by Geoffrey W. Symcox on the intellectual context within which it was conceived - is a must-read for anyone interested in the life of cities both historical and contemporary.