Examine the Claim that Cities Have Recently Entered a "Postmodern" Stage in Their Development

Anthony Giddens defines postmodernism as "the belief that society is no longer governed by history or progress." He sees postmodern society as "highly pluralistic with no 'grand narrative' guiding its development"(Giddens, 2001). But it is also important to look at 'postmodernity' in relation to 'modernity', to see it as the direct result of the latter, as a reaction to the industrial, functional qualities of the modern movement (James-Chakraborty, 2001). From a sociological view-point the two movements can be seen as follows: the 'modern' movement taking into account the changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution, and the "postmodern' movement, the changes brought upon us by the Information Revolution (Macionis, Plummer, 1998). But, to what extent can it really be said that cities have recently entered a 'postmodern' stage in their development? To answer this question one must first grasp what the 'modern' and 'postmodern' movements entail, particularly in relation to cities, in their physical form and urban life in general.…