CRR-3: City as a sociological construct
Muhammad Ahmed Zeeshan 12290
Urban sociology, the sociological study of life and human interaction in metropolitan areas, gained prominence within the academy in North America through a group of sociologists and theorists at the University of Chicago from 1915 to 1940. It became later known as the Chicago School of Sociology and combined sociological and anthropological theory with ethnographic fieldwork to understand how individuals interact within urban social systems with different structural, cultural and social conditions. Their focus was on how the increase in urbanism during the time of the Industrial Revolution was magnifying contemporary social problems. They sought to address the physical
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He argues that the shift between nomadic civilization and contemporary civilization, and the shift from a predominately rural society to a predominantly urban society, is a result of the shift from agrarian to industrial economy. This shift has drastically affected the social life. Wirth writes “The growth of cities and the urbanization of the world is one of the most impressive facts of modern times” and suggests that this shift has reshaped the mode of living and sparked sociological interest in studying these changes and the process of urbanization. Wirth has a unique sociological perspective on what social characteristics represent urban life. He does not rely on quantitative characteristics such as density or location, urbanism, the life of the city dwellers, and rather defines urban life through social …show more content…
In her “Uses of Sidewalks”, she has a very different way of looking at cities and is more concerned about dangers and possible safety precautions. She is well known for her opposition to urban renewal of New York city which brought her into direct conflict with mega-planner and bureaucrat Robert Moses. She discusses questions such as what makes a community, what is a neighborhood, and what makes a city livable. She was deeply concerned about women, children and minorities. She proposes that neighborhoods with active sidewalks are safer neighborhoods, and the ones with nearly deserted sidewalks are being