Population Urbanization and the Environment

Population Urbanization and the Environment essay assignment

Population Urbanization and the Environment essay assignment

Demography is the study of the size, composition, distribution, and changes in human population. Demographic variables crucial to understanding population dynamics are fertility rates, mortality rates, life expectancy, and migration rates.

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Theories on Population Growth

1. 1. The Malthusian theorem, which Malthus published in 1789, argues that the population will expand at a much faster rate than agriculture, and that people will eventually overwhelm available food and land sources. The Malthusian trap predicts major catastrophe if societies do not limit population and take drastic steps to reduce consumption. Neo-Malthusians agree with this theory and worry about the rapid pace of population growth.
   2. Anti-Malthusians insist that Malthus’s calculations were faulty, and that he could not have predicted how the development of technology would affect population dynamics. Anti-Malthusians are more concerned about population shrinkage and demographic free fall resulting from industrialization.

15.2 Urbanization

Urbanization refers to the shift of people from rural to urban areas. A Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is a metropolitan area with at least 50,000 people surrounded by an area that is socially and economically integrated with the city and has a population totaling 100,000 or more. A metropolis is a larger city, usually with 500,000 to 1 million (or more) inhabitants. A megalopolis, or megacity, is a group of densely populated metropolises that combine to form a huge urban complex. Urban density is measure by the total number of people per square mile. Surprisingly, the most densely populated city in the United States is Union City, New Jersey, with more residents per square mile than New York City, San Francisco, or Chicago.

1. Trends in Urbanization
   1. Suburbanization is the shift of large segments of the population away from the urban core and toward the edges of cities.
   2. Urban, or suburban, sprawl refers to the peripheral expansion of urban boundaries and is associ­ated with irresponsible or poorly planned development.
   3. Edge cities are suburbs that develop their own centers of employment and commerce. Smart growth advocates emphasize the redevelopment of inner cities or older suburbs to create better communities.
   4. Beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, many upper- and middle-class whites left city centers for the suburbs. This phenomenon, called white flight, left some urban areas abandoned by economically crucial businesses and financial institutions, creating ghettos where poverty and deteriorating infrastructure further exacerbated the problems associated with inner cities. To address the problems in decaying urban centers, urban renewal efforts have included renovation, selective demolition, commercial development, and tax incentives to lure businesses and individuals to invest in the area. Gentrification is another trend in which working-class or poor neighborhoods are transformed into more affluent middle-class communities. Unfortunately, gentrification does not eradicate poverty. Instead, the poor are often forced to move elsewhere because their communities have become too expensive for them.
   5. Rural rebound refers to the population increases in rural areas due both to in-migration of former urban and suburban dwellers and to longtime residents of rural areas who choose to stay.
2. Living in the City
   1. Social atomism is Wirth’s theory that cities are filled with free-floating individuals rather than members of a community. Urbanites are people who live in urban area. Gans separates urbanites into cosmopolites, singles, ethnic villagers, and the deprived.
   2. Sociologists argue that cities provide personal freedom, relaxed moral restraints, relative ano­n­ymity, variety, and diversity, and that this freedom brings with it a form of alienation. The murder of Kitty Genovese in New York City is frequently held up as an example of how city dwellers are apathetic and impersonal. Studies of altruism and helping behaviors found that the higher the number of bystanders, the lower the changes that any of them would attempt to help. Also, pluralistic ignorance may occur when a large population must deal with a problem. If no member of the group calls attention to an emergency, it is likely that all members will continue to ignore the situation.
   3. In contrast, the attacks of September 11, 2001, elicited a great outpouring of support and aid to New York City. Volunteers from all over the country went to New York City to help out. The authors argue that there is no ambiguity in a large-scale emergency such as the September 11th attacks, so people knew how to respond to the tragedy. They also knew where to go and what to do in order to help.
3. Urban legends are a specific modern variety of folklore defined by their believability and their contemporary settings; they are often legitimated or “authenticated” either through personal acquaintances or through media coverage. Urban legends that succeed typically have two main qualities. First, they reflect our concerns, fears, and anxieties about our social world. Second, they inspire an emotional reaction such as anger, fear, disgust, or amusement.

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