Apart from rational organization of time Simmel saw the rationality of the city in its advanced economic division of labour. Money again had an important role since advanced division of labour requires a universal means of exchange. Money performs this critical function. That the cities are the most advanced seat of division of labour is reflected in the following example. It is only in the cities that one finds that remunerative occupation such as quatorzième can exist. These are people whose profession is to get dressed around dinner time and attend dinner if the number of guests at a party happens to be thirteen. These people belong to high society and old aristocracy. Because of its large size, cities make it possible to have highly diversified plurality of achievements. Whereas the struggle for customer leads to specialization, at the same time new and unique needs arise.

Another feature of the urbanite’s life is the complete absence of nature. Through human history human beings have been in struggle with nature, which in the context of the city has been transformed into a conflict with human beings. In the city the gains that have to be fought for are granted not by nature but by man. The more separated human beings are from nature, the more dependent they are on each other.