Urbanization and Community

Paper Summary:

This paper explores the meaning of community in reference
to the historical changes that have taken place in the reality and the concept of community due to urbanization. Reference is made to Aristotle's definition of a citizen and the great shift of populations to the cities by the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century and the Information Age of the 20th century. The paper looks at how the traditional idea of community and the social links within those communities were destroyed and transformed.

From the Paper:

"Although the word 'urban' refers, of course, to the idea of the city ("urbs" in Latin) and indeed is used as an adjective, urbane, to mean "refined, sophisticated, polished", there is another word more closely akin to the concept of community. The Greeks identified city as "polis"; their word for "citizens", "politai" was derived from this as was their word for "constitution", "politeia". This is significant because for the Greek city-states, Athens at least, the citizen was organically connected in his whole life to the city in "the belief that physical, in-person, place-based presence is the essential element of community" (Hampton 109). "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Hampton, Keith N. "Social Ties and Community in Urban Places". In Urban Canada, Pp. 95-117.
• Harris, Jose. Community and Civil Society. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge. 2001.
• Hiller, Harry H. Urban Canada: Sociological Perspectives Oxford University Press. Oxford. 2004.
• Leiss, William et al. "Origins of the Consumer Culture". In Social Communications in Advertising: Persons, Products, and images of Well-Being. Nelson Canada. 1990 (Course Kit SOSC 2340 Division of Social Science, York University).
• Stalley, R.F. Aristotle Politics. Oxford University Press. Oxford. 1995.

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