Urban sprawl.
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Civilization includes all aspects of culture, such as technology/government etc. So the importance of civilization is that it is living beyond just the hunter-gatherer stage, where they lived to survive, eat and reproduce. Civilization is living beyond survival.
In the Romans empire living in a city represented that they were making advancements into evolving and becoming more get more sophisticated. They were no longer poor people living off the land they were citizens to a city that had laws and orders. They were no longer nomadic or barbarian tribes who still lived all over the countryside still. In the mind of a roman, cities formed its inhabitants into greater, abler, nobler people.
To be civilized doesn't always mean living in nice cities and dressing in nice clothes, it can also mean that you treat your fellow citizens in a civil and respectful manner.
There were many factors contributing to the growth of medieval towns. One of these was improvements in agriculture that made it possible to have a larger population without increasing the number of farmers. Another thing was the general improvement in government, which led to greater economic stability. The improvements ranged from better protection from raiding and invasion to a better established currency. Improvements in trade were important. These, in turn, depended on improvements in transportation, such as better roads, better security on the roads, better ships, relationships established with Asian and African countries, and establishment of trade guilds. Technology played an important part. Several inventions and discoveries contributed to the growth of towns. Among the improvements brought about in the Middle Ages were the inventions of the artesian well, fireplace and chimney, and a number of different kinds of cranes and mills. These all made it possible to improve the lifestyles of people living in compact quarters. In time, towns and cities became important because of the schools or universities they had in them. Scholars tended to congregate, and this increased the importance of the places where they gathered. Similarly, some towns or cities had the reputation of being the best places to get medical care. Toledo was one such place.
The present ice age exists now and it started about 2.6 million years ago. We are living in a warm period between glaciations called an interglacial.