Cities Before History: City History #1

Urban life began before humans: how insects, caves, and graves shaped cities. In this first episode of CityDesign's City History series, Martin Felsen traces the surprising origins of urban life — from insect colonies millions of years old to ancient burial grounds, painted caves, and the agricultural revolution that made permanent settlement possible. In this episode, you'll learn: Why ant colonies and termite mounds are the original urban prototypes How "emergence" explains cities — and Pac-Man, bird flocking, and swarm robotics Why the first permanent human settlements were built for the dead, not the living What cave paintings reveal about consciousness, ritual, and sacred space How Michael Pollan's "dance of domestication" suggests plants have been training us Why the invention of containers transformed civilization How two ancient leadership archetypes — the Hunter and the Shepherd — still shape cities today Chapters: 0:00 - 0:33 - Intro 0:34 - 5:49 - We Are Animals Too 5:50 - 8:08 - City of the Dead 8:09 - 10:47 - Cave Consciousness 10:48 - 15:04 - Taming Nature 15:05 - 15:37 - Closing CityDesign explores how we shape cities — and how cities shape us. About me Martin Felsen is an architect and professor at Illinois Tech's College of Architecture in Chicago. He co-founded UrbanLab, a design firm whose work spans houses, housing, mixed-use buildings, installations, urban infrastructure, and cities. UrbanLab's projects explore how architecture connects to the larger city and natural environment. Martin is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. Attributions This episode’s script is adapted from many sources, most importantly: Mumford, Lewis. The City in History: Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects. (New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1961) Kostof, Spiro. The City Assembled: The Elements of Urban Form Through History (Boston: Little, Brown, 1992) Kostof, Spiro. The City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meanings Through History (London: Thames and Hudson, 1991) Howard, Ebenezer. Garden Cities of To-Morrow (London: Faber and Faber, 1946) Jacobs, Jane. The Economy of Cities (New York: Random House, 1969) Kropotkin, Peter. Fields, Factories and Workshops (London: S. Sonnenschein, 1901) Hölldobler, Bert, and E. O. Wilson. The Ants (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1990) We Are Animals Too    • The Beavers are back - Busy river monsters...      • Busy Beavers Build Dam Ahead of Winter | Y...      • Arcade Game: Pac-Man (1980 Namco (Midway L...      • Starling murmuration 2020 #Geldermalsen      • Army Ants Rampage Through The Forest  | Th...      • The World of Ants 8K ULTRA HD      • Bee Wild! – The Secret Life of Wild Honey ...      • Best Of Ants | BBC Earth      • How do starling birds flock? - Life in the...      • How Termites Evolved to Build Massive Mounds      • Inside A Termite Fortress | Seasonal Wonde...      • My TERMITES Start Building Their FUNGUS CO...      • New Amazon Robot Warehouse AI Automation F...      • Termite Castes Explained: Who Does What?      • The Amazing Life of Termites: Unveiling th...      • The World of Ants 8K ULTRA HD      • True Facts : Ant Mutualism      • Why do ants farm aphids? | Surprising Science      • See How Termites Inspired a Building That ...   City of the Dead    • Brooklyn Sunset Park Flyover | Drone Foota...      • Rome, Italy: Catacombs and Appian Way - Ri...      • The Peacefully Silent Forgotten Cemetery H...      • Wonders of Egypt – Explore Pharaohs’ Tombs...   Sculptor: Andy Goldsworthy Graphic Artist: M. C. Escher Cave Consciousness    • Brian Cox visits Europe's oldest known cav...      • 2001: A Space Odyssey...and Beyond the Inf...      • Did Humans Make These Ancient Cave Paintin...      • Did Humans Make These Ancient Cave Paintin...      • Cave Art 101 | National Geographic      • What Can Cave Paintings Tell Us About Our ...   “Controled Hallucinations” theory, see neuroscientist Anil Seth:    • Your Brain Hallucinates Your Conscious Rea...   Taming Nature    • 10,000 Drones Controlled By A Single Compu...      • Walker S2 - World's First Mass Delivery: B...      • Apple Farming - Apple Harvesting & Apple J...      • How to make stone hand axe/ primitive Celt...      • Weaving a backpack basket (1)      • Amazing Tulip Fields      • Cannabis Plants | Copyright Free Video Foo...      • CORNFIELD | Relaxing Drone Footage      • Our Forests | Timelapse in Google Earth   Architectural Photographers: Bernd and Hilla Becher Music: Minimal Pizzicato Cello, by Rafael Krux, 2025