5.4.1 Five Conditions for a Megacity from a Historical
Perspective
When the 18 megacities are considered in the framework of six regions and six eras
(Table 5.4), we can determine five conditions for the emergence of megacities. The
first is the development of a sound economic base with global linkages, which did
not occur until after the sixteenth century. The second is the rise of secondary
industry, which commenced with the Industrial Revolution around 1800. The third
is the development of sanitary engineering, which occurred in the early twentieth
century. The fourth is the power of nation states, which prevailed globally after
WWII. The fifth is the development of a sustainable international hub in regard to the
economy, politics, and culture, which occurred after 1980.
1. The first condition, the economic base with global linkages The premodern era is
clearly important to the history of megacities because they were already
established at this time. Nine such cities were based on each urban tradition,
and another nine were established as colonial cities or settlements in this period.
Nine cities were founded by the Europeans in their colonies and based on the
European urban ideals of the sixteenth century. The Spanish conquered Mexico
City (1519) and Manila (1571), and rebuilt Buenos Aires (1580) and Los Angeles
(1777) based on Derecho indiano (Indian Law). The Portuguese built a fort in
Mumbai (1534) and established a settlement in Sao Paulo (1554), both of which
gradually developed as urban accumulations. New Amsterdam (1623, later
renamed New York) and Jakarta (1619) were established as forts by the Dutch,
and the British established a fort at Calcutta (1690, later Kolkata). Not all urban
accumulations began from vacant lots, but they were built on local traditions and
existing settlements. For example, Mexico City was built on Tenochtitlan, which
had previously been a capital city of the Aztec Empire; Sunda Kelapa, the port of
Pajajaran Kingdom, became Jakarta; and domestic villages had existed in Manila,
Kolkata, and Mumbai, although a discontinuity in the urban morphology can be
observed before and after colonization.
At the same time, nine cities maintained traditional local urban forms. Cairo
under the Ottoman Empire was roughly enclosed along the Nile, with farmland or
waste land extending beyond the city center. Delhi, originally some walled cities
were built on Delhi Plateau from the ninth century, and Shah-Jahanabad was
constructed in 1619 as one of several enclosed amalgamations as a Mughal
capital city. Dhaka under the Mughal Empire was a commercial center along
the Ganga and was a large, unenclosed, highly populous city (Ahmed 1986). On
the other hand, Karachi was only a small Mughal fort of 250 people. These cities
were similar in that their monarchs were Muslims and thus they were Islamic
cities, but their urban morphology differed. Moscow was a medieval enclosed
city; the construction of its outer double city walls was completed in 1592. Osaka,
Edo (Tokyo), and Seoul were large, unenclosed cities. Osaka was a flourishing
temple town in the sixteenth century, retaining its grid capital city layout of
5 Regional Diversity and Sustainability of Megacities in Global Historical. . .
89
Perspective
When the 18 megacities are considered in the framework of six regions and six eras
(Table 5.4), we can determine five conditions for the emergence of megacities. The
first is the development of a sound economic base with global linkages, which did
not occur until after the sixteenth century. The second is the rise of secondary
industry, which commenced with the Industrial Revolution around 1800. The third
is the development of sanitary engineering, which occurred in the early twentieth
century. The fourth is the power of nation states, which prevailed globally after
WWII. The fifth is the development of a sustainable international hub in regard to the
economy, politics, and culture, which occurred after 1980.
1. The first condition, the economic base with global linkages The premodern era is
clearly important to the history of megacities because they were already
established at this time. Nine such cities were based on each urban tradition,
and another nine were established as colonial cities or settlements in this period.
Nine cities were founded by the Europeans in their colonies and based on the
European urban ideals of the sixteenth century. The Spanish conquered Mexico
City (1519) and Manila (1571), and rebuilt Buenos Aires (1580) and Los Angeles
(1777) based on Derecho indiano (Indian Law). The Portuguese built a fort in
Mumbai (1534) and established a settlement in Sao Paulo (1554), both of which
gradually developed as urban accumulations. New Amsterdam (1623, later
renamed New York) and Jakarta (1619) were established as forts by the Dutch,
and the British established a fort at Calcutta (1690, later Kolkata). Not all urban
accumulations began from vacant lots, but they were built on local traditions and
existing settlements. For example, Mexico City was built on Tenochtitlan, which
had previously been a capital city of the Aztec Empire; Sunda Kelapa, the port of
Pajajaran Kingdom, became Jakarta; and domestic villages had existed in Manila,
Kolkata, and Mumbai, although a discontinuity in the urban morphology can be
observed before and after colonization.
At the same time, nine cities maintained traditional local urban forms. Cairo
under the Ottoman Empire was roughly enclosed along the Nile, with farmland or
waste land extending beyond the city center. Delhi, originally some walled cities
were built on Delhi Plateau from the ninth century, and Shah-Jahanabad was
constructed in 1619 as one of several enclosed amalgamations as a Mughal
capital city. Dhaka under the Mughal Empire was a commercial center along
the Ganga and was a large, unenclosed, highly populous city (Ahmed 1986). On
the other hand, Karachi was only a small Mughal fort of 250 people. These cities
were similar in that their monarchs were Muslims and thus they were Islamic
cities, but their urban morphology differed. Moscow was a medieval enclosed
city; the construction of its outer double city walls was completed in 1592. Osaka,
Edo (Tokyo), and Seoul were large, unenclosed cities. Osaka was a flourishing
temple town in the sixteenth century, retaining its grid capital city layout of
5 Regional Diversity and Sustainability of Megacities in Global Historical. . .
89