Seeing a city

Cities can be classified according to their geographical position, climate and form, as well as by their population, social structure and economic activities. All of these criteria affect the urban environment.

Urban structure and land use are other important variables that affect the quality of the urban environment and impact urban settlements. Describing the interactions between urban systems and the environment, however, is a difficult task because of the complexity of the relationships between their physical, social and economic components.

Cities as ecosystems 

European cities 

Urban indicators 

How societies can help