Population Dynamics & Urbanization: Impact of Human Growth & Urbanization on Environment, Slides of Sociology

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CHAPTER 16: POPULATION, URBANIZATION, AND THE ENVIRONMENT docsity.com POPULATION DYNAMICS • Demography—the scientific study of human populations • Demography examines size, composition, distribution, and the changes and causes of these characteristics 1 docsity.com The World’s Population • Fertility—the number of babies born in a particular society • Crude birth rate—the number of live births per 1,000 population in a given year • In 2008, the CBR was 21 worldwide, 37 for Africa, and 14 for the U.S. 1 docsity.com The World’s Population • Birth rates vary within a country. • In the U.S., birth rates are higher for younger women, recent immigrants, and those with low income and education levels. 1 docsity.com Discussion Why are birth rates higher for some populations than others? 1 docsity.com The World’s Population • Life expectancy—the average number of years that people who were born at the same time will live. • In 2008, worldwide the average life expectancy was 68. • The U.S. had a life expectancy of 78, below at least 25 other developed countries. 1 docsity.com Discussion What causes the differences in life expectancy and mortality rates? 1 docsity.com The World’s Population • Migration—the movement of people into or out of a specific geographic area – Push factors encourage or force people to leave a residence. Examples are war, religious persecution, or unemployment. – Pull factors attract people to a new location. Examples are employment opportunities, religious freedom, and lower crime rates. 1 docsity.com Population Composition and Structure • Sex ratio—the proportion of men to women in a group – 100—equal numbers of men and women – 95—fewer males than females – 105—fewer females than males 1 docsity.com Discussion • What causes the sex ratio to be different for different populations? • What effects do different sex ratios have? 1 docsity.com • Population pyramid—a visual representation of the age and sex structure of a population at a given point in time • Population pyramids allow demographers to predict future needs of a population. For example, an aging population will require more long-term health care. 1 docsity.com • Demographic transition theory maintains that population growth is kept in check and stabilizes as countries experience economic development. • Population growth changes as societies undergo industrialization, modernization, technological advancements, and urbanization. 1 Population Growth docsity.com Population Growth • A nation goes through 4 stages: – Stage 1: Preindustrial societies with high birth rates and high death rates – Stage 2: Early industrialization with significant population growth because of high birth rates but lower death rates 1 docsity.com – Stage 3: Advanced industrialization with lower birth rates and death rates and a lower population growth rate – Stage 4: Postindustrial societies with low births and low death rates and population growth stability or even decrease. 1 Population Growth docsity.com URBANIZATION • Urbanization is the movement of people from rural areas to cities. • In 2008, for the first time in history, a majority of the world's population lived in urban areas. • The Industrial Revolution created a surge in urbanization as people moved to cities in search of jobs and improved living conditions. 2 docsity.com Urbanization • Megacities, metropolitan areas with at least 10 million inhabitants, are becoming more common. • The U.S. has two megacities, New York- Newark and Los Angeles. 2 docsity.com Urbanization in the U.S. • Eighty-five percent of the counties losing population in recent years are rural. • Fastest growing counties are just outside of urban areas. • Suburbanization—movement from cities to the areas surrounding them. • Today more than 60% of Americans reside in suburbs. 2 docsity.com Consequences of Urbanization • Gentrification—the process of buying and renovating houses and stores by middle-class and affluent people in downtown urban neighborhoods • Gentrification revitalizes urban areas and augments taxes but results in displacement of low-income people and small business. 2 docsity.com • Racial segregation continues to exist in cities. As the suburbs expanded, low- income African Americans were left in the central cities with few housing and employment choices. 2 Consequences of Urbanization docsity.com Sociological Explanations of Urbanization • Functionalists developed theories of urban ecology—the study of the relationships between people and their urban environment. • Theories analyzed the growth of cities into different patterns, such as concentric zones, as residents' needs were met. 2 docsity.com Sociological Explanations of Urbanization • Feminist scholars emphasize gender- related constraints caused by capitalism. • Poor women and minorities have the least access to decent housing. • Safe public transportation and other public areas are limited. Many women fear for their physical safety. 2 docsity.com Sociological Explanations of Urbanization • Symbolic interactionists are interested in the impact of urban life on its residents. • Urbanism is a way of life characterized by tolerance of different lifestyles but superficial interaction and social isolation. 2 docsity.com Application • Identify the theoretical perspective: functional, conflict, feminist, interactional. – People create suburbs to enhance their quality of life. – Financial institutions determine the shape of cities. – Urbanites are more socially isolated than those in rural areas. docsity.com Access to Clean Water • Worldwide – More than 1 billion people do not have clean water. – Almost 6 billion do not have adequate sanitation. – Almost 2 million children die every year because of contaminated water. – Water-related diseases are the single largest cause of sickness and death. 3 docsity.com • Pollution – More than half of the world's rivers are polluted by untreated sewage and industrial waste. – Human activities account for about 40 percent of the highly toxic mercury emissions in the U.S. 3 Threats to the Water Supply docsity.com • Privatization – Transferring some or all of the assets or operations of public water systems into private hands – Bottled water contributes to greenhouse gases, depletion of local water sources, and plastic bottle waste. 3 Threats to the Water Supply docsity.com