The phrase "to divide the city" means to create separation or divide the people or areas within a city into different groups, usually based on certain characteristics or differences. Full definition
As mayor of the largest and most economically divided city in the country, you should feel a responsibility to embrace all children, regardless of what school their parents have chosen for them. (thebronxchronicle.com)
The smart cities initiative builds on 1990s systems engineering projects — the «golden» projects — aimed at dividing cities into geographic grids for monitoring, she adds. (sciencemag.org)
The immediate reason was the construction of a wall, a wall dividing a city built on sand. (bookbrowse.com)