Abstract The paper discusses how Wirth contends that rural dwellers were the first individuals to inhabit the city. The paper examines the variations in the cultures that exist within the city. The paper further examines how the rise of technology has impacted both rural and urban society.
From the Paper "Wirth contends that rural dwellers were the first individuals to inhabit the city. As the author analyses the variations in the cultures that exist within the city, therefore, Wirth suggests that they are not as comparatively different from one another because both the urban and rural societies have a basis in the same cultural system of belief. In addition to this correlation between urban and rural societies, Wirth stipulates that the rise of technology within the urban world has created advances that serve both societies, and create a stronger bond between the connections that exist between them. For example, Wirth explains that technology has significantly affected both urban and rural communities through communications systems, radio, theatre, transportation, and health care. While these technological developments may have been empowered by the urban culture, they have become necessary inclusions in the rural society."
This paper discusses the term and the concept of urban and looks at how the urban setting directly impacts the social relations that are conducted within it.
Abstract In this article the writer looks at the meaning of the term urban and discusses the extent that the urban setting shapes the social life which occurs within it. The writer notes that these issues are closely interrelated. This paper argues, the term "urban" must be understood as a sociological concept whose characteristics fundamentally define the social relations that occur within the urban space. The writer concludes that models of human social behaviour, such as civility, are developed in urban settings as a means of coping with the stresses of population densities as well as a cultural production that is deeply intertwined with economic and emotional relationships of humans as groups and as individuals.
From the Paper "The relationship between the urban setting and the social life that occurs within it is thus complex but clear. The population densities and uses of space that physically characterize urban settings lead to a range of impacts upon social relations that, in many cases as in the cultural realm, seem indirect and would likely not be predicted. To use a metaphor, within a physical setting human population densities increase until a "critical mass" is attained, at which point "urbanity" comes into existence with an explosion of social and cultural forms that are distinct to urban life.
"Consider, for example, the arguments of some urban sociologists that the urban setting has led to a radical revisioning of fundamental human social interactions."
Abstract This paper focuses on the urban immigrant in the United States. It further discusses the sociological aspects of the urban immigrant. The paper discusses the issues of industrialization, culture, assimilation within society, the loss of jobs and discrimination against native minorities in the United States. It also discusses the changing sphere of sociological beliefs in relation to urban immigrants.
From the Paper "The lives of immigrants in the United States, and how those lives relate to the American society, is dependant upon several factors that culminate before and after arrival in this country. Sociologists perceive that there is a difference in an immigrant's survival in the United States if they elect to come here, or if they were brought here by force because of issues that were life threatening, or placed in exile by their homelands. The possibility of success for immigrants is further weighed against factors such as education, ability to speak English, connection to family, and the economic resources available. With the greatest number of immigrants to the United States selecting urban areas as home, these factors become significant within American cities."
Abstract This paper explains that social exclusion is one of the ways in which social inequalities are expressed within urban areas. The author points out that residents are grouped together according to a number of factors including socio-economic status, race, gender and even age. The paper relates that those individuals with few economic resources, limited social capital or belonging to the wrong gender or race end up being excluded from the social process that ultimately shapes urban areas. The author underscores that urbansociology fits into this field of study because these activities determine the shape of the city, which in turn affects the behavior of individuals. The paper states that the simplest form of social exclusion is that there is no space for the groups that are being excluded, such as the homeless.
From the Paper "Public spaces are enclosed because they have economic value. However, the economic interests of corporations and other members of society are entwined with political and social interests. As certain economic, social and political interests come to dominate public spaces, certain social elements must be excluded. This is a perfect example of how the social processes involved in the city ultimately change the physical nature of the city. These changes in physical structure ultimately result in further social change. This clearly demonstrates the relationship between social exclusion and urban sociology."
Tags: immigrants, public spaces, inequalities homeless suburban
Abstract This paper discusses the book "Sidewalk" by Mitchell Duneier which presents an honest account of the lives of roadside vendors on the Sixth Avenue in New York. The book is a classic in urbansociology, which studies the lifestyle of the 'poorest' section of the society, which is busy making an honest living.
Abstract In 1938, Louis Wirth wrote an article about his observations and critiques of urbanization. While many of his observations are held to be true today, nobody can clearly define what makes up a city or an urban area. The paper argues that whether urbanization and industrialization are good is all a matter of personal opinion. While urbanization poses a threat to certain social classes and even the environment, it has also helped to evolve the way goods and services are made available to a broad area. The paper argues that ,if urbanization continues on the path that it is currently on, guidelines and boundaries will have to be put in place to prevent the destruction of all that urbanization has helped us achieve.
From the Paper "Alan Booth raised an issue of concern about overpopulation and crowding in urban areas. Urban crowding can affect a number of factors. First, the more people there are in an area, the more space people will desire due to the need for privacy. This can cause rapid expansion in what was a small crowded area. When an area expands rapidly, it can cause great environmental damage. It crowds wildlife populations and often destroys useful and fertile farm land or forests. Wildlife ecosystems respond with biological controls on fertility and birth rates that reduce populations and can lead species to become endangered in certain areas. The destruction of farm land is becoming more and more of an issue, especially in the mid-west where many of the United States' crops are grown. Land in the mid-west is fairly plentiful and peoples' desire for more personal space is leading real-estate developers to buy up land in the central U.S. and clear it for housing developments. This also applies to the metropolitan areas and some suburban areas within which the government provides housing (Booth 1976:1-10)."
Abstract This paper describes Ebenezer Howard's role in the advancement of urban planning. The author points out that Howard understood the necessity of asserting control over urban development. The paper further describes Howard's belief that controlling urban development improves city life, enhances productivity, increases efficiency and reduces the socioeconomic and political problems that uncontrolled urbanization produced. The paper relates that Howard believed that the negative aspects of urbanization could be minimized and eventually eliminated through logical urban planning to which he devoted his life.
From the Paper "In analyzing the advancement of urban planning, it is evident that innovative urban thinkers, like Ebenezer Howard, understood the vital importance of promoting and achieving effective urban development. Throughout the centuries, most cities expanded outward from their central core in a haphazard fashion in response to a variety of short-term economic, social and geographical factors. As this random process unfolded, cities became sprawling urban areas in which the quality of human life steadily declined, economic productivity suffered, and social and political tensions became chronic problems. "
Abstract This paper is an in-depth examination of the Third World urban crisis. The paper looks at high population growth rates and growing immigration into urban areas that are causing huge problems for public services and governmental control of urban growth. The paper examines the informal sector of the economy, in which most urban poor are employed, together with possible suggestions on how to deal with the urban problem.
From the Paper "As a whole, the Third World urban population is growing at the rate of 4% per year. This is three times the urban growth rate of First World countries. Latin America and East Asia are almost as urbanized as the western world, as nearly 50% of their people live in cities with 500,000 or more inhabitants. As the new century begins, more than 20 of the world's cities will have a total population of 10 million or more. With the exceptions of Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York, Osaka and Moscow, most of them will be in the Third World. The largest First World agglomerations were the world's biggest in the 1940?s, but are now smaller than much bigger Third World rivals such as Mexico City and Sao Paulo."
Abstract The paper discusses how the urban areas of Ontario and Toronto are experiencing urban sprawl. The paper describes the characteristics of urban sprawl and how it can be measured. The paper looks at urban sprawl's negative impacts on the environment, taxpayers and on the population's cultural and social life. The paper offers recommendations for future land-use development that will sustainably manage growth and discourage urban sprawl.
Outline:
Issue
Analysis
Recommendations
From the Paper "Urban sprawl is not easy to define. "To paraphrase the United States Supreme Court's long-ago ruling on pornography, most people can't define sprawl--but they know it when they see it" (Fulton et al, 2001). Urban sprawl is a phenomenon that occurs around metropolitan areas, usually represented by suburbs, and it involved the spread of cities and the urbanization or areas around it previously undeveloped, used for agriculture or green fields and forests.
"There are several characteristics of urban sprawl by which it can be recognized. First, the land-use is segregated and usually entails single use zoning. This means that residential, commercial and industrial areas are separated from one another. Often there are large undeveloped, empty areas between them. Because these areas are separated, traveling from one to the other can only be done with a car."
Tags: suburbs, cities, urbanization, fields, low-density, development
This paper provides a look at the principles of New Urbanism, a land development movement designed to combat ugly urban sprawl, by redeveloping inner cities and/or making the most efficient use of open space development.
Abstract This paper examines the topic, New Urbanism, synonymous with the term "Smart Growth" which is a way to develop land efficiently, whether it may be a new development using open space land, or a redevelopment of a part of an inner city- called "infilling". The paper explores the ten principles that New Urbanism is guided by and gives examples of developments across the country that have used this method and prospered.
From the Paper "Small, picturesque towns like Nantucket and Savannah dot the eastern landscape of the country. These towns are the illustration of the principles America was founded upon: closeness, unity, community, and family. The neighborhoods were compact and had mixed-uses. Everything a family needed in the normal course of the week was all within walking distance. There was a town square where the townspeople met and talked. In the youth of this country small developments like these were common, however in the last 50 years America has seen development practices take a turn for the worse. The current practice of building suburbs nationwide sprang up after World War II, and development has sacrificed hundreds of thousands of acres to this practice ever since. Now the majority of U.S. citizens now live in automobile-oriented, unattractive suburbs full of strip malls and four-lane roads with four-foot sidewalks. Although this is still the norm, there is a new kind of development that is making an impact on the way communities are built. This new method, called New Urbanism or Smart Growth, has caught on in the last 20 years and is now popping up all over the country. New Urbanism is a way to combat ugly urban sprawl, replacing it instead with small, interconnected communities that are pedestrian-friendly and contain housing, work places, shops, entertainment, schools, parks, and other amenities essential to the daily lives of residents, all within easy walking distance of each other. New Urbanism involves using the principles it sets forth to fix and redevelop existing cities, called "infilling", as well as to create new, high-density, compact towns and villages."
Abstract This paper examines the various methods of studying urbanization which include community formation and the process of urbanization. This paper also discusses advanced computer software programs that reveal concise developing patterns and complex sciences such as chaos and fragile theory which tell about the inner workings of cities. This paper describes how the emergence of new living patterns are a direct response to technology, modes of transportation and individual preferences. For more than 100 years urban theorists have contended that the balance of forces between white and black and male and female is a natural condition, yet this paper proves why this is no longer true. The writer focuses on the urbanization of L.A. which is more fragmented than most other multicultural municipalities due to its large Hispanic population. This paper also touches on the introduction of Islam into the African-American community and the resulting impact.
From the Paper "Since 1966, and the theories of Jane Jacobs and post-modern urbanists, urbanists view the city as a living organism--one whose many cycles can be captured better on film then by a static plan. Indeed computer programs that reveal developing patterns and complex sciences, such as chaos and fragile theory, tell us much more about how cities really work than the old mechanic models of modern architects. An excellent candidate for such a study would be that complex, unexplainable entity known as Los Angeles. According to a United Nations report published in 1992, more than one million refugees migrated around the globe--compared to a World War II high of 16 million."
Abstract This paper illustrates the diversity of global urban experience and examines variations in levels of urbanization and rates of change in that level over the period 1975-2000 amongst different countries and world regions and particularly among developed and developing nations. It also examines the relationships between urbanization, level of national economic development and social conditions and the inconsistencies in these relationships within different countries and regions. The data for this examination comes from three tables that provide information on levels of urbanization, population, growth rates, income and economic development for UN countries.
Abstract This paper examines and critiques two articles that deal with urban space and its primary features. The first of the two articles presents some of the main concepts and ideas by which Urban Spatial Structure can be understood. The second of the two articles presents a review of Canadian urban social geography and what it suggests about the state of the Canadian urban landscape and about our present course in housing and social policy. The paper analyzes the pros and cons of both articles and suggests both are worthwhile additions to the literature.
Abstract The paper addresses some important questions in connection with rapid growth of population in urban centers of the developing countries. Though rate of urbanization has decreased significantly in the industrialized countries, it is still a major cause of concern for the third world because of the delayed development of their urban cities.
Abstract This paper presents a review of literature on urban youth crime. The paper discusses a number of aspects relating to the topic including depression and urban delinquency, school bonds and delinquency, family practices and urban delinquency reform.
From the Paper "This literature review, concerning the topic of juvenile delinquency in urban areas, addresses the following relevant areas: introduction to juvenile delinquency in urban areas, depression and urban delinquency, school bonds and urban delinquency, parent and family practices and urban delinquency, social influences of urban delinquency, multiple causes of urban delinquency, urban delinquency reform and summary and conclusions. Juvenile delinquency in urban areas is higher than juvenile offending in other neighborhoods and these rates are higher..."
