Download Urban Growth and Development: Meaning, Criticisms, and Evolution of City Services - Prof. and more Study notes Urban Sociology in PDF only on Docsity! Urban Growth and Development PSCI 4020 – Urban politics Meaning of Urbanism: Census Bureau Urban place: an incorporated city with a population of at least 2500 people. Metropolitan statistical area: an urbanized area of at least 50,000 people and surrounding commuting areas PSCI 4020 - Urban Growth and Development2 Criticisms of Urban Life Loss of sense of Community Interpersonal relationships tend to be functional instead — of holistic. Anonymity: people don’t know each other Fear and distrust PSCI 4020 - Urban Growth and Development5 Banfield: Imperatives of Urban Growth Edward Banfield, Unheavenly City (1970) Three imperatives of urban growth Population increase Transportation technology Income distribution Urban growth and development is an interaction among these three forces. PSCI 4020 - Urban Growth and Development6 Growth of Urban Population in the U.S. PSCI 4020 - Urban Growth and Development7 Early Mercantile Cities Developed before the Industrial Revolution. Lack of transportation limited physical size of cities. Called “walking cities.” Various social groups lived close together . Sense of community that accepted traditional class divisions PSCI 4020 - Urban Growth and Development10 Two Economic Revolutions In the 19th Century Transformed American Life Agricultural Revolution of the 1840s (improvements in farming technology) Increased agricultural productivity Reduced need for agricultural workers. Industrial Revolution took off in the 1860s at the end of the Civil War. T f d h f k i h h i d i f h rans orme t e nature o wor w t t e ntro uct on o t e factory system. Work became concentrated in urban areas with key resources Energy resources to run the factories Good transportation connections. PSCI 4020 - Urban Growth and Development11 Industrial Cities Put Banfield’s Imperatives of Growth in Play Characterized by rapid population growth New waves of immigration take their place at the bottom of the urban social structure. Makes social class and income divisions more marked and more obvious. Improved transportation technology leads to outward th d i i h i l i f itigrow an ncrease n p ys ca s ze o c es. Income differences lead to more class segregation and hostility. PSCI 4020 - Urban Growth and Development12 Evolution of City Services Sometimes services were provided by private companies. Charleston SC, Fire brigades in those days were paid by insurance companies Competing companies would race each other to the fire, but wouldn’t put it out unless the building bore a marker from “their” insurance syndicate. PSCI 4020 - Urban Growth and Development15 Evolution of City Services In the last third of the 19th century the growing middle class began to demand better services—especially improved water and sewer systems. Often business elites worked for improved services when they believed that they were needed to guarantee the cities’ economic viability. Ci d d i h l f h 19thty governments expan e n t e ast part o t e century to meet growing expectations for city services. PSCI 4020 - Urban Growth and Development16 Evolution of City Services The late 19th century was the golden age of American city building Brooklyn Bridge New York’s Croton aqueduct system Parks movement and City Beautiful Movement By the beginning of the 20th century, American cities id d i th E itiprov e more serv ces an uropean c es PSCI 4020 - Urban Growth and Development17
