the City Edge

On the periphery
A prosperous and safe city will attract outsiders to
its periphery who want to use its advantages. Also,
sometimes, there is a spill out from the inner dense
core to the periphery. Thus are born the suburbs.
The phenomenon is as ancient as cities. In Assyria,
there existed Karum,a colony of merchants just
outside the city.
Passing tradesmen in time would permanently
plant themselves in the shadow of the city walls,
near the gates, and form a new life , and create a
new urban form.
There is another distinctive phenomenon of
suburban growth which begins as new satellite
centres around a city, but not directly attached to it.
There is also the case of ribbon development,
wherein the suburbs grow in a concentric fashion
outwards.
THE CITY EDGE
Karum, trading colony at
Kanesh, Asyyria.