Last night I read Joel Kotkin's book The City: A Global History. Unfortunately I have to say that it was mostly a waste of time, providing few insights. It seemed like a skimpy book on world history that threw in references to cities. His thesis also seems somewhat ridiculous, that one of the chief factors determining the success of a city is its "sacredness." The other two, more plausibly, are its defensability and the presence of commerce.
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Of these three I would guess that the last probably accounts for 90% of a city's success. Unfortunately, however, no real attention seemed to be given to what determines the commercial viability of a city. Not much said about geography, immigration, tax policy, etc. I find myself largely in agreement with the second review posted on amazon.com.
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Anyone want to recommend a better book on the subject?
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