Urban sociology
Encyclopedia
Urban sociology is the sociological
study of social life and human interaction in metropolitan area
s. It is a normative discipline of sociology seeking to study the structures, processes, changes and problems of an urban area and by doing so providing inputs for planning and policy making.
Like most areas of sociology, urban sociologists use statisticial
analysis, observation, social theory
, interviews, and other methods to study a range of topics, including migration and demographic trends
, economics
, poverty
, race relations, economic trends
, etc.
After the industrial revolution
, sociologists such as Max Weber
, and particularly Georg Simmel
in works such as The Metropolis and Mental life (1903), focused on the increasing process of urbanization
and the effects it had on feelings of Social alienation
and anonymity.
The Chicago School
is a major influence in the study of urban sociology. Many of their findings have been refined or rejected, but the lasting impact of the Chicago School can still be found in today's teachings.
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
study of social life and human interaction in metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
s. It is a normative discipline of sociology seeking to study the structures, processes, changes and problems of an urban area and by doing so providing inputs for planning and policy making.
Like most areas of sociology, urban sociologists use statisticial
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
analysis, observation, social theory
Social theory
Social theories are theoretical frameworks which are used to study and interpret social phenomena within a particular school of thought. An essential tool used by social scientists, theories relate to historical debates over the most valid and reliable methodologies , as well as the primacy of...
, interviews, and other methods to study a range of topics, including migration and demographic trends
Demography
Demography is the statistical study of human population. It can be a very general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic human population, that is, one that changes over time or space...
, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, race relations, economic trends
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, etc.
After the industrial revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, sociologists such as Max Weber
Max Weber
Karl Emil Maximilian "Max" Weber was a German sociologist and political economist who profoundly influenced social theory, social research, and the discipline of sociology itself...
, and particularly Georg Simmel
Georg Simmel
Georg Simmel was a major German sociologist, philosopher, and critic.Simmel was one of the first generation of German sociologists: his neo-Kantian approach laid the foundations for sociological antipositivism, asking 'What is society?' in a direct allusion to Kant's question 'What is nature?',...
in works such as The Metropolis and Mental life (1903), focused on the increasing process of urbanization
Urbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
and the effects it had on feelings of Social alienation
Social alienation
The term social alienation has many discipline-specific uses; Roberts notes how even within the social sciences, it “is used to refer both to a personal psychological state and to a type of social relationship”...
and anonymity.
The Chicago School
Chicago school (sociology)
In sociology and later criminology, the Chicago School was the first major body of works emerging during the 1920s and 1930s specialising in urban sociology, and the research into the urban environment by combining theory and ethnographic fieldwork in Chicago, now applied elsewhere...
is a major influence in the study of urban sociology. Many of their findings have been refined or rejected, but the lasting impact of the Chicago School can still be found in today's teachings.
See also
- Urban anthropologyUrban anthropologyUrban anthropology is a subset of anthropology concerned with issues of urbanization, poverty, and neoliberalism. It is a relatively new and developing field, which became consolidated in the 1960s and 1970s....
- Sociology booksSociology booksSociology books are books dealing with the academic field of sociology. For an overview of the most famous authors and their publications, see history of sociology . Partial list of the sociology books may be found in the list of sociology books....
- List of Urban sociology topics
- Rural sociologyRural sociologyRural sociology is a field of sociology associated with the study of social life in non-metropolitan areas. It is the scientific study of social arrangements and behaviour amongst people distanced from points of concentrated population or economic activity...
- Sociology of architectureSociology of architectureSociology of architecture is a term that describes the sociological study of either:* the built environment or* the role and occupation of architects in societies...
- Sociology of spaceSociology of spaceThe sociology of space is a sub-discipline of sociology that is concerned with the spatiality of society. It examines the constitution of spaces through action, as well as the dependence of action on spatial structures.- History of the sociology of space :...
- Urban cultureUrban cultureUrban culture is the culture of towns and cities. In the United States, Urban culture may also sometimes be used as a euphemistic reference to contemporary African American culture.- African American culture :...
- Urban studies
- Urban tribeUrban TribeUrban Tribe is the alias used by Sherard Ingram, an electronic musician from Detroit.Urban Tribe's first releases were issued on Carl Craig's labels, Retroactive and Planet E. He signed with Mo Wax and released an EP for the label in 1996...
- EkisticsEkisticsThe term Ekistics applies to the science of human settlements. It includes regional, city, community planning and dwelling design...
Further reading
- Berger, Alan S., The City: Urban Communities and Their Problems, Dubuque, Iowa : William C. Brown, 1978.