I am trying to find information on when and on what occasion the former mayor of Denver, Wellington E. Webb, said his words: ""The 19th century was a century of empires, the 20th century was a century of nation states. The 21st century will be a century of cities". I could find only sources quoting the statement, but no further details. Did anyone come across that? Thank you for any leads.
Hello Sabina; Here is a citation...I have not read it...that might help you.
Wellington Webb: The Man, the Mayor, and the Making of Modern Denver : an autobiography.
Best regards, Jim Des Lauriers
The larger picture
Trends in urbanization
The nineteenth century was an era of empires. The twentieth century was characterized by the rise of nation states. The twenty-first century will be defined by cities. Former Denver Mayor Wellington E. Webb
Cities are the physical representation of the cultural, economic, and social acceleration that has occurred in modern history. For maybe the first period in history, in 2007, The world's rural population has risen slowly since 1950, according to the United Nations, and is likely to reach its peak in a few years. The world's rural population is growing. It is now close to 3.4 billion people, and by 2050, it is predicted to drop to 3.2 billion.
Since 1950, the world's urban population has risen dramatically, from 746 million in 1950 to 3.9 billion in 2014.Rural push forces like agricultural modernisation and rural poverty, in combination with urban pull factors like industrialisation and urban-biased policies, have clearly contributed to urbanisation since 1950.
By 2050, it is expected that population growth and urbanisation will add 2.5 billion people to the world's urban population:
Hello Sabina Baraniewicz,
I read a few sections of the book, 'Wellington Webb: The Man, the Mayor, and the Making of Modern Denver: an Autobiography' and found the following:
"Wellington Webb's declaration that 'the twenty-first century will be the Century of Cities' has resounded across the country and the world; from the statehouse to the White House. from London to Paris, and Beijing to Dakar," read a resolution adopted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors in June 2000. [pp. 338]
Hope this might be helpful for you.
Nawrose Fatemi , James Des Lauriers , thank you very much for your leads. I have found that W. Webb might have said that during a conference of mayors from France, Germany and the U.S. in Lyon, April 2000.
Hello Sabina; What was the context of your interest in the quote? It's an odd thing to get hooked on! Cheers, Jim Des Lauriers
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