And yet we have consistently underestimated cities. They have largely been eclipsed in political terms – with power being held at a national level. Cities are neglected in the metrics and institutions we use to make sense of the world – gross national product, national populations, national languages, national anthems.
If we let cities run rampant, as London has in the UK, or Dublin in Ireland, the city itself becomes disconnected from the rest of the country. Unless, like Germany or USA, there are multiple cities big enough to share and wrestle power.
