Introduction to the course of urban history

Cities as tourist destinations The importance of urban centres to global tourism, both business and leisure. City destinations ranking 2015 (source: Euromonitor International). Over a third of the top hundred destinations are located in Asia. The top five are Hong Kong, Bangkok, London, Singapore, and Paris. For cultural tourism, European cities remain probably world leaders.

Top ten cities Rank City Country 2014 2015 Growth 1 Hong Kong China 27,770.5 26,686.0 - 3,9% 2 Bangkok Thailand 17,031.7 18,734.9 10,0% 3 London UK 17,404.0 18,580.0 6,8% 4 Singapore 16,795.6 16,869.4 0,4% 5 Paris France 15,058.1 15,023.0 - 0,2% 6 Macau 14,566.0 14,308.5 - 1,8% 7 Dubai UAE 13,200.0 14,200.0 7,6% 8 Istanbul Turkey 11,843.0 12,414.6 4,8% 9 New York US 12,230.0 12,300.0 0,6% 10 Kuala Lampur Malaysia 11.629.6 12,153.0 4,5%

World urbanization

The aims of the course Build a patrimony of historic knowledge useful for the enhancement of urban tourism. Experiencing the planning of tourist and cultural routes within the cities. Discussing strategies and initiatives to promote the cities images. Structure and contents of the course.

The city in European history In 2011, for the first time, the majority of the world’s inhabitants lived in cities. Europe as one of the most urbanized continents since the Middle Ages. The city as a pillar of European continuity and stability. Trade, culture, industrial specialization, service sector, political power, immigration. The distinctiveness of the European urban system in the globalized world. A way of life?

The nature of urban history The origins: city chronicles and early towns histories in the Middle Ages. Urban history as an academic subject. Max Weber, Chicago School. The impact of the social and cultural history. «Annales», social anthropologists, British school. The urban history in Italy.

European urban geography

European urban development VIII-early XIV: slowly urban progress. XIV-XV: widespread downturn. XVI-early XVII: urban revival. XVII-first half XVIII: stagnation and decline. Second half XVIII-first half XIX: selective growth. Second half XIX-1970s-80s: urban explosion.