They had to create new kinds of services. The obvious example being Rome, having to bring water over those vast aqueducts. Or London in the 19th century, having to deal with cholera by purifying water. These were cities involved in a fast learning track. That kind of urgency you still find in cities of the developing world.
Urban essentials seem under control, mature.
But some people, smitten by the power of the Internet, think all this is about to change. Cities could lose population and influence under the decentralizing power of the Web. People still depend on physical proximity. We hear all about the death of distance. But I take issue with this.