From Expansion to Network: Some Reflections on a New Geography in Eastern Europe

In December 2019 the mayors of Budapest, Bratislava, Prague, and Warsaw, all of them at odds with their countries’ populist governments, signed a pro-European declaration called the “Pact of Free Cities.” Can cities officially go against the political commitments of their rulers? “Free cities” are reminiscent of Middle Ages’ “freie Städte.” While this development is mainly positive and necessary, I also formulate some criticism. City networks are necessary and have many merits, but they neglect the organic conception of the city that has been put forward by Mumford, Geddes, and anarchists such as Kropotkin and Bookchin.