Well, the characteristics that define a city are all a bit sketchy and no one seems to really be able to agree on them. The point I was making with the manufacturing centres is that there isn't any evidence at Çatal Höyük of the degree of craft specialization that generally defines a city. The lack of social complexity is the main issue though - all of the houses at Çatal Höyük are the same size, more or less, which implies that there wasn't any real social hierarchy. Most of what I've read suggests that it started out as a village, grew in size and population density for various reasons (obsidian trade, etc.) but its governing institutions didn't adjust to these changes, which was why it was abandoned and never grew into a city the way Uruk and other Lower Mesopotamian settlements did.

According to Charles Redman, it was basically a chiefdom that happened to exist in a really densely populated area. I haven't really looked into that, but it's kind of an interesting idea.

Plus, Çatal Höyük didn't have a three-tier settlement hierarchy in relation to the surrounding areas, OR any monumental architecture. So even if it had been a city, it would have been a pretty lame one.

I'm sorry, this was really excessive. Clearly I need to stop taking LJ replies so seriously. Putting away my notes might be a good start.