Cities are as old as settled human history. This is abundantly clear in South Asia, with Harappa and Mohenjodaro being early indigenous examples and Varanasi representing a living embodiment of this tradition.
Links:
[1] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/news/choking-cities
[2] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/suman-bery
[3] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/newspaper/india-today-new-delhi
[4] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/urbanisation
[5] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/population
[6] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/census-habitat-monitoring
[7] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/un
[8] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/india