Demography & Urbanization

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A cast iron pillar standpipe on wet flagstones with foundry lettering raised on its shaft and a brass tap running into a glazed earthenware jar that is only part full, a line of waiting vessels stepping away behind it and a wooden yoke leaning on the stone kerb

Water Before Demography

Large cities did not become survivable because people wanted them to. They became survivable when someone could borrow against future water rates. The evidence is stronger than the folklore, and the attribution is still contested.

By Brecht Corbeel · August 9, 2026 · 16 min read

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