Using urban pasts to speak to urban presents in the Anthropocene

Abstract

With more people now living in urban areas than outside of them, urbanism is becoming an increasingly important socioeconomic and ecological arena for our species in the twenty-first century. Understanding historical and regional variation in urban trajectories and land use has the potential to provide long-term perspectives on pressing contemporary challenges. Here we review how novel methods and approaches are enabling archeology to shed new light on the past 5,500 years of urban life. From exploring urban variability in ‘extreme’ environments to studying the interaction of urbanism and the Earth system, we argue that the past provides a critical, growing reservoir of knowledge for contemporary urban scientists and planners. Humanity is increasingly urban, but urban living is not new, and past examples showcase striking variation. This Review synthesizes methodological and other advances in archeology to illustrate how compellingly the past can inform current urban science and understanding.