This comment has turned out to be rather long. I'd be really interested to hear what other people thought about A City Is Not a Computer. Especially you Mel!
I thought that this was a good article. It's well written and well researched. The middle section that covers the history of cities' evolution is great.
However, and there always has to be a however it seems, there were a few things that grated on me.
The argument part---rather than the history part---hinges on this assertion:
Urban intelligence is more than information processing.