Portal:Cities
The Cities Portal
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agreed definition of the lower numerical boundary for their size. In a more specific sense, a city can be defined as a permanent and densely populated place with administratively defined boundaries whose members work primarily on non-agricultural tasks. Cities generally have extensive systems for housing, transportation, sanitation, utilities, land use, production of goods, and communication. Their density facilitates interaction between people, government organizations, and businesses, sometimes benefiting different parties in the process, such as improving the efficiency of goods and service distribution.
Historically, city dwellers had been a small proportion of humanity overall, but following two centuries of unprecedented and rapid urbanization, more than half of the world population now lives in cities, which has had profound consequences for global sustainability. Present-day cities usually form the core of larger metropolitan areas and urban areas—creating numerous commuters traveling toward city centres for employment, entertainment, and education. However, in a world of intensifying globalization, all cities are to varying degrees also connected globally beyond these regions. This increased influence means that cities also have significant influences on global issues, such as sustainable development, climate change, and global health. Because of these major influences on global issues, the international community has prioritized investment in sustainable cities through Sustainable Development Goal 11. Due to the efficiency of transportation and the smaller land consumption, dense cities hold the potential to have a smaller ecological footprint per inhabitant than more sparsely populated areas. Therefore, compact cities are often referred to as a crucial element in fighting climate change. However, this concentration can also have some significant harmful effects, such as forming urban heat islands, concentrating pollution, and stressing water supplies and other resources. (Full article...)
Selected city -
Los Angeles (often shortened as LA or L.A.) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Southern California. With an estimated 3.87 million residents within the city limits as of 2025[update], it is the second-most populous city in the United States, behind New York City, and the largest city in the Western United States. The city has an ethnically and culturally diverse population, and is the principal city of a metropolitan area of 12.9 million people (2024). Greater Los Angeles, a combined statistical area that includes the Los Angeles and Riverside–San Bernardino metropolitan areas, is a sprawling metropolis of over 18 million residents.
The majority of the city proper lies in the Los Angeles Basin adjacent to the Pacific Ocean in the west and extending partly through the Santa Monica Mountains and north into the San Fernando Valley, with the city bordering the San Gabriel Valley to its east. It covers about 469 square miles (1,210 km2), and is the county seat and most populated city of Los Angeles County, which is the most populous county in the United States with an estimated 9.86 million residents as of 2022[update]. It is the third-most visited city in the U.S. (after New York City and Miami), with over 3.6 million visitors as of 2023. (Full article...)
Did you know -
- ... that New York City's Hotel Marseilles, once a shelter for Holocaust survivors, later became affordable housing for the elderly?
- ... that Rockefeller University sold a version of Joan Mitchell's City Landscape for $17 million in 2024 to fund research?
- ... that past tenants of New York City's Flatiron Building have included a consulate, musicians, and a crime syndicate?
- ... that a mistake made by a novice truck driver led to Luxembourg City's "worst disaster since the end of [World War II]"?
- ... that The Anxious City introduced a recurring figure in Paul Delvaux's paintings: a man who is ignorant of the pretty women and disasters around him?
- ... that 9 to 5 actor Dabney Coleman flew to New York City to pursue acting the day after an actor stopped by for a drink?
Related portals
Related WikiProjects
Recognized content - 
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a federal territory of Malaysia. It is the most populous city in the country, covering an area of 243 km2 (94 sq mi) with a population of 2,111,536 as of 2026[update]. Greater Kuala Lumpur, which itself includes the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 8.81 million people as of 2024. It is among the fastest growing metropolitan regions in Southeast Asia, in terms of both population and economic development.
The city serves as the cultural, financial, tourism, political and economic centre of Malaysia. It is also home to the Malaysian parliament (consisting of the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara) and the Istana Negara, the official residence of the monarch (Yang di-Pertuan Agong). Kuala Lumpur was first developed around 1857 as a town serving the tin mines of the region by Raja Abdullah , and important figures such as Yap Ah Loy and Frank Swettenham were instrumental in the early development of the city during the late 19th century. It served as the capital of Selangor from 1880 until 1978. Kuala Lumpur was the founding capital of the Federation of Malaya and its successor, Malaysia. The city remained the seat of the executive and judicial branches of the Malaysian federal government until these were relocated to Putrajaya in early 1999. However, some sections of the political bodies still remain in Kuala Lumpur. The city is one of the three Federal Territories of Malaysia, enclaved within the state of Selangor, on the central west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. (Full article...)
Selected article -
Gotham City (/ˈɡɒθəm/ GOTH-əm), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city in the Northeastern United States that serves as the primary urban setting in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his allies and foes. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, Gotham was first identified as Batman's place of residence in Batman #4 (December 1940) and has since been the primary setting for stories featuring the character. While affluent, civic-minded families like the Waynes strive to rebuild Gotham City, it remains traditionally depicted as a crime-ridden dystopia, utterly consumed by institutional corruption, predatory mob syndicates, and erratic lunatics.
Gotham City is traditionally depicted as being located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its look and atmosphere were primarily influenced by New York City, but over the years have drawn inspiration from Chicago and London as well. Architect Hugh Ferriss' designs also influenced the look and emotional feel of Gotham, particularly in its later depictions. Bill Finger said that he chose the name "Gotham", and not New York, so that readers in any city could identify with it. (Full article...)
General images -
The Round city of Baghdad, the capital of Iraq (from History of cities)
Extent and major sites of the Indus Valley Civilization of ancient India (from History of cities)
Mohenjo-daro, a World Heritage Site that was part of the Indus Valley Civilization (from History of cities)
This woodcut shows Nuremberg as a prototype of a flourishing and independent city in the 15th century. (from History of cities)
A poster from the EPA entitled "Soak Up the Rain with Green Infrastructure." The poster depicts various green infrastructure that can be effective in preventing floods. (from Urban geography)
Daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng (from History of cities)
Aerial photograph shows the remains of the Sumerian city Ur, near Nasiriyah, Iraq. (from History of cities)
The city of Arbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has a radial urban structure centred on an ancient fortress (from Urban structure)
New York City, one of the largest urban areas in the world (from Urban geography)
The Avenue of the Dead in Teotihuacan originates with the Pyramid of the Moon, forming the basis of the city grid. (from History of cities)
Gdańsk in the 17th century (from History of cities)
Constantinople, the largest and wealthiest city in Europe from the 9th through the 12th century (from History of cities)
Cain founding the city of Enoch (from History of cities)
A map showing the world energy consumption per capita based on 2013 data from the World Bank. (from Urban geography)
Excavated foundations of Çatalhöyük, Turkey. An Anatolian town dated to 7000 BCE. (from History of cities)
Palmanova, Italy, constructed in 1593 according to the defensive ideal of the star fort, today retains its distinctive geometry. (from History of cities)
View of the Agora of Athens with the temple of Hephaestus to the left and the Stoa of Attalos to the right (from History of cities)
_LACMA_M.2008.40.98.8.jpg)
.jpg)
_from_the_east_corner_of_the_86th_Floor_Observatory_of_the_Empire_State_Building_in_Manhattan,_New_York_City,_New_York.jpg)
Topics
List articles
Subcategories
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
-
Commons
Free media repository -
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals -
Wikidata
Free knowledge base -
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations -
Wikisource
Free-content library -
Wikiversity
Free learning tools -
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus
