The document describes how the settlements of New York, Tokyo, and Beijing changed between 1900, 1950, and 2000, noting characteristics like building size, population density, zoning, and layout. In 1900, New York had old buildings in Zone B in a linear layout, while Tokyo and Beijing had small linear buildings. By 1950, New York was crowded with medium buildings in Zone A, Tokyo had big dispersed or nucleated buildings, and Beijing was nucleated with Zone B. By 2000, New York had big high buildings in Zone B with some roads, Tokyo had big buildings in Zone B as an industrial town, and Beijing was crowded with many buildings in Zone B as an industrial, nucleated town.