What does "reasserting" here mean?

[Cooliegirly]

In the following context:

"...but as the city has been losing functions it has been reasserting its most ancient one: a place where people come together, face-to-face."

What does reasserting mean? I need to know this, otherwise, I would never understand the sentence.

[Alan]

Hi again

Reassert is to go back to a former(usually high) standard and in this way to get back a reputation. A school for example might once have had a high reputation but over a period of time it may have gone downhill. A new headteacher could be appointed who wants to restore the school to its former high standard and in this way help the school to reassert itself.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story A day in the life of a flat hunter