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((Short description|City becomes independent political unit))
((More citations needed|date=December 2021))
'''Urban secession''' is a city's [[secession]] from its surrounding region to form a new political unit.

This new unit is usually a [[country subdivision|subdivision]] of the same country as its surroundings. Many cities around the world form a separate local government unit. The most common reason is that the population of the city is too large for the city to be subsumed into a larger local government unit.

However, in a few cases, full [[sovereignty]] may be attained, in which case the unit is usually called a [[city-state]]. It is an extreme form of urban autonomy, which can be expressed in less formal terms or by ordinary legislation such as a [[city charter]].

== History ==

Urban autonomy has a long history back to the prehistoric [[urbanization]] and the original Mediterranean [[city-state]]s of classical times, e.g. [[Ancient Athens]], [[Ancient Rome]]. In medieval times such measures as the [[Magdeburg rights]] established special status for cities and their residents in commercial relations. In general it receded as European cities were incorporated into [[nation-states]] especially in the 17th century to 20th century, eventually losing many special rights.

== Theory of urban secession ==
Modern theorists of local civic economies, including [[Robert J. Oakerson]] and [[Jane Jacobs]], argue that cities reflect a clash of values, especially of tolerances versus preferences, with views of the city varying from a pure community to that of a pure marketplace. Suburbanites have a strong tendency to view the city as a marketplace since they do not participate in its street life voluntarily, nor do they consider the city to be a safe and comfortable place to live in. By contrast, those who choose downtown living tend to see it as more of a community, but must pay careful attention to their tolerances (for [[smog]], [[noise pollution]], [[crime]], [[taxation]], etc.).  [[Ethics]] and thus politics of these interest groups vastly differ.

Secession (the setup of entirely new legislative and executive entities) is advocated by certain urban theorists, notably [[Jane Jacobs]], as the only way to deal politically with these vast differences in culture between modern cities and even their nearest suburbs and essential watersheds. She stated that "cities that wish to thrive in the next century must separate politically from their surrounding regions."((Citation needed|date=December 2020)) She rejected the lesser "Charter" and less formal solutions, arguing the full structure of real regional government were necessary, and applied to the urban area alone. In particular she rejected the idea that suburban regions should have any say over the rules in the city: "they have left it, and aren't part of it."((Citation needed|date=December 2020)) Jacobs herself lived in an urban neighborhood ([[The Annex, Toronto]]) which would have been paved over in the 1970s by a highway project to serve the suburbs, the [[Spadina Expressway]], had the proponents of urban secession not stopped it. Jacobs likewise took part in blocking the development of the [[Lower Manhattan Expressway]] in the 1960s, opposing [[Robert Moses]]. These freeways are examples of the clash of urban community versus suburban market interests.

Advocates of highway development and suburban participation in urban government theorize that cities which protect themselves from the suburbs, forcing them to become self-sufficient small towns, cutting off the freeways, forcing [[commuting|commuter]]s into subways, etc., are committing suicide by forcing business out into the suburbs. Advocates respond that cities depend more on their [[measuring well-being|quality of life]] to attract migrants and professionals, and that [[remote work]] makes it possible for workers in the city to live anywhere, coming into town less frequently, without the rush.

==Examples==
===City-states and semi-autonomous cities===
Fully autonomous cities, or city-states, are the objective of urban secession. A modern instance of a city-state is the [[Singapore|Republic of Singapore]], which was expelled from [[Malaysia]] for a variety of political and social reasons.<ref>((Cite web |title=Singapore separates from Malaysia and becomes independent - Singapore History |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/dc1efe7a-8159-40b2-9244-cdb078755013 |access-date=2023-06-29 |website=eresources.nlb.gov.sg))</ref> Currently, Singapore is the sole city which has total independence, an indigenous currency, and a substantial military. The other two existing and ''de jure'' city-states are [[Monaco]] and [[Vatican City]], which operate as, nominally, politically independent urban areas. 

Certain cities like [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macao|Macau]] have a degree of autonomy, but not full political independence. Specifically, the status of a [[special administrative regions of China|special administrative region]]s (SAR) has been conferred upon Hong Kong and Macau in the [[People's Republic of China]]. The reason for their relative autonomy stems from their existence for more than a century as European colonies, and a resultant difficulty of full reintegration.

===Asia===
In [[PRC|China]], both [[Beijing]] and [[Tianjin]] are independent of the surrounding province of [[Hebei]], of which they were formerly a part. Similarly, [[Shanghai]] is now independent from [[Jiangsu]] and [[Chongqing]] from [[Sichuan]]. 

In [[Japan]], [[Tokyo]], as well as being a [[wards of Tokyo|city]],((clarify|reasons=The special wards style themselves cities.|date=October 2020)) forms a prefecture, falling into a special category of "metropolitan prefecture" having some of the attributes of [[Tokyo City|a city]] and some of a prefecture. Within Tokyo, there are smaller units, "wards", "cities", "towns", etc., but some of the responsibilities normally assigned to cities and towns in other Japanese prefectures are handled by the Tokyo metropolitan government instead.<ref>((cite web|url=http://www.metro.tokyo.jp/ENGLISH/ABOUT/STRUCTURE/structure01.htm|title=Japan's Local Government System - Tokyo Metropolitan Government|access-date=18 April 2017))</ref>
<ref>((cite web|url=http://www.metro.tokyo.jp/ENGLISH/ABOUT/STRUCTURE/structure02.htm|title=TMG and the 23 Special Wards - Tokyo Metropolitan Government|access-date=18 April 2017))</ref>
<ref>((cite web|url=http://www.metro.tokyo.jp/ENGLISH/ABOUT/HISTORY/history02.htm|title=Geography of Tokyo - Tokyo Metropolitan Government|access-date=18 April 2017))</ref>

In both [[South Korea]] and [[North Korea]], [[Special cities of Korea (disambiguation)|special cities]] are independent from their surrounding provinces and city-states under direct governance from the central government. Examples are [[Seoul]], [[Busan]], [[Daegu]], [[Incheon]], [[Gwangju]], [[Daejeon]] and [[Ulsan]] in South Korea and [[Pyongyang]] and [[Rason]] in North Korea. In South Korea, the main criterion for granting secession from the province is a population reaching one million.

[[Taiwan Island#Geography|Taiwan]], officially the [[Taiwan|Republic of China]], administers six cities, formerly part of the [[Taiwan Province|Republic of China's Taiwan Province]], as [[Special municipality (Taiwan)|special municipalities]]: [[Kaohsiung]], [[Taichung]], [[Tainan]], [[Taipei]], [[New Taipei]] and [[Taoyuan, Taiwan|Taoyuan]]. (The [[People's Republic of China]], which claims Taiwan, continues to recognise these municipalities as an integral part of [[Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China|PRC's purported Taiwan Province]]; the People's Republic of China regards Taiwan as [[Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China|its 23rd province]], with [[Taipei]] as its capital.)

In [[Indonesia]], the capital [[Jakarta]] was once part of [[West Java]] until it gained special autonomy status and broke away from its former province in 1961. The mayor position was replaced by governor, making it special autonomous province and operates independently from its surrounding provinces

[[Malaysia|Malaysian]] capitals [[Kuala Lumpur]] and [[Putrajaya]] as well as [[Labuan]] island was once part of [[Selangor]] and [[Sabah]] respectively. In 1974 Kuala Lumpur was declared as first [[Federal Territories of Malaysia|Federal Territory]] in Malaysia in order to prevent clash between Selangor state government and federal government, the state capital of Selangor was later moved to nearby [[Shah Alam]]. Later in 1984 Labuan was chosen by the federal government for the development [[Offshore financial centre]] and declared as second Federal Territory after Kuala Lumpur. Putrajaya declared as third Federal Territory later in 2001 after federal government finished developing the city as new federal capital while Kuala Lumpur stays as royal capital.

In [[Thailand]], the capital [[Bangkok]] operates independently of any province and is considered a special administrative area. It is a [[primate city]] in terms of its large population, having nearly 8% of Thailand's total population.

===Europe===
The [[Brussels capital region]], a densely built-up area consisting of 19 communes including the capital city [[Brussels]], became one of [[Belgium]]'s three [[Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium|regions]] after the country was turned into a federation in 1970. (In Belgium there are special circumstances due to the country's language communities.)

In [[Bulgaria]] the capital [[Sofia]] is an [[Provinces of Bulgaria|oblast]] of its own - [[Sofia#Administration|Sofia-grad]], while the surrounding area is divided between the [[Pernik Province|Pernik Oblast]] and the [[Sofia Province|Sofia Oblast]].

[[Paris]] and the [[Lyon Metropolis]] are their own [[Departments of France|departments]] in France.

The capital city of [[Bucharest]] is also a [[Counties of Romania|county]] within [[Romania]].

[[Moscow]] and [[Saint Petersburg]], the biggest cities in [[Russia]], have a ''[[Federal cities of Russia|federal city]]'' status. Following the 2014 [[annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation]], the city of [[Sevastopol]] is also administered as a federal city, though [[Ukraine]] and most of the UN member countries continue to regard Sevastopol as a [[city with special status]] within Ukraine.

In the United Kingdom, [[London secessionism]] has gathered momentum<ref>((cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/wouldnt-you-prefer-to-be-president-sadiq-thousands-back-campaign-for-sadiq-khan-to-declare-londons-a3280141.html|title=Thousands call on Sadiq Khan to declare London's independence|date=24 June 2016))</ref><ref>((cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/londependence-petition-calls-for-london-to-join-the-eu-on-its-own-a7101006.html|title='Londependence' petition calls for London to join the EU on its own|date=24 June 2016))</ref><ref>((cite web |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/one-in-five-londoners-want-capital-to-split-from-rest-of-uk-and-become-independent-9722652.html |title='One in five Londoners want the capital to become independent' |last=Moore-Bridger |first=Benedict |date=10 September 2014 |publisher=Evening Standard |access-date=31 March 2017 |quote=19.9 per cent of the 2,001 people surveyed agree[d] it [London] would be better off as its own country.))</ref> following the [[Brexit referendum]], when the UK as a whole voted to leave the European Union, but [[Greater London]], which is its own region (unlike other urban areas in the UK), voted to remain in the EU.

====German-speaking countries====
In [[Germany]] there are two cities — [[Berlin]] and [[Hamburg]] — that are [[States of Germany|Bundesländer]] in themselves (thus, they are city-states within a federal system). The [[Bremen (state)|Free Hanseatic City of Bremen]] is also a city-state, comprising two cities: [[Bremen]] and [[Bremerhaven]]. At the [[Districts of Germany|district]] level, many large and medium-sized cities form their own ''district-free cities'' (German: ''Kreisfreie Städte'').

The city of [[Vienna]] is a [[States of Austria|federal state]] within the [[Republic of Austria]]. As in Germany, many large and medium-sized cities in Austria are separate from the regular [[District (Austria)|districts]], instead forming their own ''statutory cities'' (German: ''Statutarstädte'').

One of the [[cantons of Switzerland]], [[Basel-Stadt]], is a city-state.

===North America===
There are no city-states in North America.  The [[District of Columbia]] in the United States and [[Mexico City|Distrito Federal]] in Mexico are federal government districts and not ordinary municipalities. As such, they are subject to the direct authority, respectively, of the U.S. and Mexican federal governments.  The residents of Washington, D.C. did not elect their own [[List of mayors of Washington, D.C.|mayor]] and [[Council of the District of Columbia|city council]] until 1972, when the [[United States Congress]] extended home rule to the city.  However, the actions of the mayor and city council must still be approved, at least retroactively, by the Congress, and no legislation passed by the Government of the District of Columbia can take effect until and unless the U.S. Congress approves it.

====Canada====
((further|Proposal for the Province of Toronto|Proposal for the Province of Montreal))
Urban secession is one of many possible solutions pondered by some Canadian cities as they contemplate their problems. It is one that is considered politically useful because of the strong [[Quebec secession from Canada|secessionist movement in Quebec]], as well as the weaker secessionist movements in [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]] (formerly independent), [[Alberta separatism|Alberta]] and [[British Columbia]].

In Quebec, with a secessionist movement and linguistic dichotomy, the [[Partition of Quebec|division of a newly independent Quebec]] has been a strong undercurrent, with some having a ''Province of Montreal'' remaining in Canada, sometimes containing only the [[West Island]] and the ''West Shore of Montreal''.

For many decades, the urban communities of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver have been configured separately from their respective provinces, for purposes of apportioning Members of Parliament after the national censuses conducted every five years. ((Citation needed|date=April 2010))

====United States====
((Main|Secession in the United States))
Various proposals have been made for [[New York City]] to [[New York City secession|secede]] from [[New York State]]. On a lower level, some states permit or have permitted a city to secede from its [[county (United States)|county]] and become a [[county-equivalent]] jurisdiction in its own right.  Whether the new county-equivalent jurisdiction is considered to be a [[consolidated city-county]] like [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]] or [[San Francisco|San Francisco, California]] or an [[Independent city (United States)|independent city]] like [[St. Louis, Missouri]] is a matter for each such state to decide. In November 2018, the [[Georgia General Assembly]] allowed voters in a wealthy enclave of [[Stockbridge, Georgia]] to decide if they wanted to secede, which they then declined to do.<ref>((Bluebook journal |first=|last=Note| title=Recent Legislation: Georgia Authorizes the Creation of the City of Eagle’s Landing| volume=132 | journal=[[Harvard Law Review|Harv. L. Rev.]] | page=2410 | url=http://harvardlawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2410-2417_Online.pdf| year=2019))</ref> In [[Ohio]], hundreds of cities and villages have withdrawn from their surrounding [[Civil township|township]]s by forming [[paper township]]s.<ref>((cite book |title = Guide to State and Local Census Geography |url = https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/reference/guidestloc/oh_gslcg.pdf |publisher = [[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date = March 14, 2019 ))</ref>

===Oceania===
The 2007 [[Royal Commission on Auckland Governance]] was set up by the New Zealand Government to investigate possible changes to the administration of [[Auckland]]. The city was in 2009 named as the country's only [[supercity]] with the merging of several former councils, and in 2010 the [[Auckland Region]] became a unitary authority governed by the [[Auckland Council]]. Suggestion has since been made that the region could become an independent [[city state]].<ref>Harvey, B., and Hamlin, C., "[https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/metro-magazine-nz/20171221/282097752055125 Splitsville]", ''[[Metro (magazine)|Metro]]'', 21 December 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2019.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Libertarian municipalism]]
* [[Free City of Danzig]]
* [[Italian Regency of Carnaro]]
* [[Localism (politics)]]

==References==
((Reflist))

==External links==
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/5179232.stm BBC: Are cities the new countries?]

[[Category:Autonomy]]
[[Category:City-states| ]]
[[Category:Local government in the United States]]
[[Category:Localism (politics)]]
[[Category:Secession]]
[[Category:Urban planning]]

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