Cities from India to Syria to Hungary can claim to be the world's oldest continually inhabited city, with permanent habitation going back more than 4,000 years. But when the evidence is thousands of years old, the title becomes elusive.
Rome calls itself the "Eternal City," but plenty of cities from antiquity have been around a lot longer—and are still around. Archeologists are engaged in a robust debate over what is actually the world's oldest continuously inhabited city. Candidates include Varnasi, India; Plovdiv, Bulgaria; Erbil, Iraq; and sentimental favorite, Jericho, Israel, whose walls may date back 11,000 years.
"Beyond the easy task of immediately discounting every city in North America and Australasia, identifying the world’s oldest continuously inhabited city is an uncertain business. There is a mess of claim and counterclaim, myth and legend, architectural digs and disputed evidence."
Part of the challenge lies in choosing continuously inhabited cities. Out of the running are places like Catal Huyuk, which is considered the first city but was abandoned long ago. Byblos, Lebanon, has solid documentation for its 7,000-year run of habitation.
Ironically, and tragically, the best contender for world's oldest city is also one of the world’s most threatened cities: Aleppo, Syria, which is in the heart of that ancient country’s civil war.
FULL STORY: What is the oldest city in the world?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie