I say that we explicitly state that hive worlds (a planet wide sprawling metropolis) and last stands (like Zion in the Matrix) don't fit the trope, as they do not fit this trope at all. This trope is for distinct, politically independent, and sovereign city-states; not large areas of uninterrupted widespread human habitation or civilizations reduced to a single city. It's an issue of orders of magnitude and circumstance, really. You have a hamlet, village, town, city, and then a megalopolis (which is when two cities overlap each other in terms of urban development while still retaining their own individual governing bodies). A good example of this is the Tokyo-Osaka belt in Japan. No one claims that that's all one city. This will likely remain true on a hive world, even if only to the locals (anyone just passing by will just think's all the same place). It's like a mountain range in this sense. In the case of a last stand holdout, like say Berlin circa 1945 or Zion in the Matrix, that's a completely different scenario. They aren't a land of one city. Perhaps they COULD be post-war if that's all the war's victor let's them keep, but as long as the war is still on, it ain't over for 'em. It's not a Lo OC, it's an Alamo.
Honestly, this trope is very ill defined and needs some work.
Just in case some clown wants to add Sealand back - Sealand is a farce that doesn't even qualify as a backwoods farm and its permanent population is too low to even qualify for a village. So yes, let's forget Sealand.
Edited by 199.180.97.243