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metro studies exam 3

Terms in this set (61)

hinterland (von thunen model)
an area surrounding and controlled by a city
radiocentric cities
cities that tend to expand outwards in a generally circular shape
gridiron cities
city layouts that have straight streets intersecting at right angles
human ecology
a theory describing urban growth as overall orderly
natural areas
districts of cities that develop naturally as distinct zones
bid rent curve
an economic geography theory that rent for land decreases with demand thats further away from the center of a city
central business district (CBD)
a zone of important commercial businesses in the center of a city
urban hierarchy
system of organizing cities by size and types of services available
urban ecology
the analysis of the social and demographic composition of neighborhoods and city districts
invasion successfion
the ecological process of a part of the city being replaced by new populations and social activities
urban form
the physical structure and organization of cities
urbanism
the values, behaviors, and overall way of life fostered by urban settings
urban dominance
the pattern of cities having cultural, economic, and political dominion over rural areas
two perspectives of culture/urbanism
1. the city generates culture
2. the city reflects surrounding culture
Spengler / Mumford
culture is tied to a city
Monti: civic culture
the ability of urban people to cooperate in the context of everyday public routines
civic culture (3)
1. different for each city
2. constantly changes
3. practiced unevenly
industrialism
a social and economic system based on the mass production and consumption of manufactured goods
capitalist
those that own the means of production
proletariat
those that sell their labor for wages
false consciousness
the inability of the exploited to see that their situation is because of exploitation by the powerful
gemeinschaft
"community," or the shared common view of life found in small settlements
gesellschaft
"society," or the associations of people in a large city that do not share common views of life
mechanical solidarity
social bonds created based on commonalities of beliefs, rituals, and symbols
organic solidarity
a complex division of labor necessitating interdependency of different people to perform specific tasks
ideal type
a model based on observation that highlights the most important parts of an element of society
full urban community (5)
1. fortification or wall
2. market for trade
3. a court and mostly autonomous law
4. a related form of association
5. at least partial political autonomy
marx and engels
the city can free individuals to act on their own, but workers will need to overcome their exploitation (most optimistic)
tönnies
the inevitable emergence of gesellschaft will result in a loss of communal relationships (pessimistic)
durkheim
the organic solidarity found in a complex division of labor in the city can provide greater freedom and choice in life (optimistic)
simmel
city can be liberating but also alienating; abundance of stimuli promotes a detached approach (mixed, mostly negative)
weber
cities are linked to the larger societal context; medieval, not modern, cities better exemplified the full urban community (mixed)
park (5)
1. the city is orderly and requires systematic study
2. relationships erode; are occupationally-based
3. face-to-face communication replaced by large bureaucracy and impersonal mass media
4. city life is less sentimental, more rational
5. greater potential for human experience due to freedom/tolerance
wirth (5)
1. large populations in cities create cultural and occupational diversity
2. dense populations in cities intensify effects of large populations
3. dense populations in cities increase social distance
4. the city is heterogeneous, causing several different social outcomes
5. urban living is cosmopolitan
social segmentalization
the division of society into smaller interest-specific groups
cosmopolite
worldly, highly educated people that choose to live in an urban area for social and experiential reasons
gans (4 urban lifestyles)
1. cosmopolites
2. unmarried or childless
3. ethnic villagers
4. the deprived or trapped
ethnic villagers
migrants that maintain the traditional social beliefs and relationships of their culture while clustering in a city neighborhood
fischer (3)
1. size, density, and heterogeneity of cities promotes cohesion
2. cities create frequent and intense subcultures through critical mass
3. cultural diffusion occurs through mutual influence
critical mass
the minimum amount of population necessary to support a social process
modern research v. the classical theories
1. tolerance is not a necessary condition of an urbanite
2. cities are less impersonal than thought
3. density probably does not cause social pathology
4. cities do not create a malaise
postmodernism
a reaction to assumed certainty of scientific, objective, or rational ways of explaining reality, leading to skepticism of universal truths
political economy
the study of how the economic system and political institutions interact with each other to cause different social outcomes
critical urban sociology
a perspective on cities that focuses on investment decisions and economic trends, both private and public, as a determinant of city growth
economic restructuring
the shift from secondary to tertiary economic activities; or from manufacturing to service activities
globalization
the increasing interconnectivity of places through political, economic, and cultural processes
3 foundational assumptions of critical urban sociology
1. cities exist within overarching political structures
2. local economy is interdependent with overarching economic structures
3. institutions shape urban life rather than natural processes
lefebvre (4)
1. there are two circuits of capital that determine urban growth/decline
2. the government has a critical factor in shaping urban space
3. government and business deal with abstract space
4. individuals deal with social space
primary circuit of capital
investment in manufacturing and labor, allowing a product to be sold and profits reinvested
second circuit of capital
real estate investment as a means of wealth generation
abstract space
space thought of in terms of size, location, and profit, generally by those in investment
social space
space as considered by people in the daily performance of life
harvey (3)
1. discrimination by investors affects development dynamics
2. government has a role in shaping city spaces
3. real estate investors cause more change than industrial capitalists
castells (3)
1. "urban" corresponds to relations of collective consumption, through welfare capitalism
2. the information age changes economic modes
3. firms no longer depend on classic industrial location theory
mode of production
the classic economic mode of items necessary for the production of goods, like capital, land, and knowledge
mode of development
changing economic mode that makes information processing and dissemination the most powerful form of production
scott (3)
1. until the 1970s, industries were horizontally integrated
2. starting in the 1970s, industries began vertical disintegration
3. suppliers locate where cheap labor is available
horizontal integration
the ownership of nearly all components that go into the manufacture of a good by a singular company
vertical disintegration
the process of large companies selling production support companies
logan and molotch (4)
1. urban growth coalitions seek to grow the city economy
2. local residents resist growth
3. tensions occur between the two groups
4. globalization changes the city
4 general principles of critical urban sociology
1. urban growth from decisions of those that control wealth
2. urban form/sociology reflect conflict over resource distribution
3. government plays important role in urban life
4. economic restructuring alters urban growth patterns
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