Urbanism As Way Of Life

Issues in Urbanisation In 1939 Lewis Wirth introduced the concept of Urbanism as a way of life. According to Wirth it is difficult to defend the census definition in identifying a settlement as urban as the proportion of population cannot fully or accurately measure ‘Urban’.

Sociologically “a city may be defined as a relatively large, dense, and permanent settlement of socially heterogeneous individuals”. Cities are historically identified as breeding ground for new biological and cultural hybrids

SIZE

Aristotle’s “politics” first recognised that increase the number of people in a settlement beyond certain limit will affect the relationship between them and character of the city

Large number will bring greater range of individual variation. Greater the number of individuals participating in a process of interaction greater is the potential differentiation between them.  Personal traits, occupations, cultural life and ideas of the members are expected to have wide range in compare to rural community

This variation will give rise to spatial segregation of individuals according to race, religion, kinship, caste, economic and social status, etc. The bond of kinship because of living together in same place for a long time will be absent or very weak. Under such circumstances “competition” and “formal control mechanism” acts as substitute for the bonds of solidarity to hold the society together.

Personal relation with others will be restricted when the number increased beyond few hundred. The mutual acquaintanceship between the inhabitants that ordinarily developed in a neighbourhood will be lacking.

The increase in number thus involves a changed character of social relationships and requirement for new set of institutions, and control mechanism. Urbanites meet one another in highly segmental roles. They are dependent upon more people for their needs and thus associated with large number of people in compare to rural society

Density According to E.Durkheim- Increase in density tends to produce “differentiation” and “specialisation” for supporting the increased number of population. It also increases the complexities of social structure. It will result in close physical contact but social contact will be distant..

Place of work tends to disassociated from the place of residence, for the proximity of industrial and commercial establishments make an area both economically and socially undesirable for residential purpose

Density, land value, rentals, accessibility, healthfulness, prestige, aesthetic consideration, absence of nuisances determines the desirability of various areas of the city as place of settlement for different sections of population. Congested habitat gives occasion to friction and irritation. In such situation, unattached individuals towards one another gives rise to loneliness.

Heterogeneity It tends to breakdown the rigidity of caste line and complicates the class structure and leads towards differentiated framework of social stratification. Partly because of physical footlooseness of population and partly as a result of their social mobility. Turnover in group membership is rapid. When a large numbers have to make common use of facilities and institutions, an arrangement must be made to adjust the facilities and institutions to the needs of the average persons rather than to particular individual

Social organizations

Weakening of primary relationship, bonds of kinship, and declining family.

social

significance

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educational, a recreational activity to specialised institutions outside the home has deprived the family some historical functions. Marriage tends to be postponed, and proportion of single and unattached people will be more. City discourages an economic life in which the individual in time of

Urbanism as a characteristic mode of life may be approached empirically from interrelated perspectives: 1.As a physical structure comprising a population base, a technology, and an ecological order 2.As a system of social organizations involving a characteristic social structure, a series of social institutions and a typical pattern of social relationships

3. As a set of attitudes and ideas, and a constellation of personalities engaging in typical forms of collective behaviour and subject to characteristic mechanism of social control 4. Dominance of cities over its hinterland through functional characteristics of the city---Facilities, Skill and Organizations (services)

Herbert Jans Way of life in inner city must be distinguished from outer city and the suburbs. Last two has very little to do with WIRTH’S theory of urbanism. In inner city life can be explained better by using socioeconomic variables rather than number, etc. Suburbs are more like dormitories and further away from work and play facilities, CBD and others. These are more modern than city residential areas and designed for automobiles rather than pedestrian. They have single family and more homogeneous.

Radhakamal Mukherjee (1968), has described various facets of urbanism as follows: 1. Ecologically speaking, urbanism has a demographic and mechanical-technical baseviz. a dense aggregation of individuals whose life, career and labour are oriented to the predetermined rhythm and tempo of machinery and the pressure of the vast complicated, capitalistic industrial structure and finance, which operate and control mass standardized production.

2.The natural areas of the city and the patterns of land use habitations, transportation and the ecological process of competition, specialization, gradation and segregation governs all communications, which represent the physical milieu of urban dwellers

(iii) Biologically speaking, urbanism is characterized by a preponderance of a heterogeneous, foreign-born, adult population with an excess of single and unattached persons and a deficiency of women and minors and exhibit low birth rate and high mortality

(iv) Psychologically speaking, it is a system of ideas, attitudes and ideals, marked by: Formal, objective, pecuniary standards, which fit into the machine technology and rapid tempo of life leave little room for personal and emotional self-expression hence it accompanies individual and social irritation, excitement and strife