Modern-day cities no longer have walls to keep out strangers, separating those inside from the vagabonds lurking without. On the contrary, they have thrown open the gates and embraced not only people, but also countries and the entire world. Whether Los Angeles, Cairo, or Johannesburg, the extent to which a city opens up and becomes a world in its own right is evidence of its function as an economic, political and cultural survival strategy for humankind. One could say that the city has become a global 'instruction manual' for human co-existence. Unlike the French Revolution or the American Declaration of Independence, however, the urban revolution is a protracted, ongoing process that needs to be shaped.
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