Seeking a paradigm to understand the full impact of twentieth-century urbanization, Howard Spodek takes an historical look at the concept of cites, as they first developed from nomadic to village existence about 15,000 years ago, to the establishment of the first major cities about 5,000 years ago, and to urban industrialiaztion that took place about 200 years ago

Howard Spodek is the author of The World's History (2010), co-editor (with Doris Srinivasan) of Urban Form and Meaning in South Asia (1993), and producer and writer of the documentary film Ahmedabad: The Life of a City in India (1983).