LOUIS WIRTH (1897-1952) U. OF CHICAGO – MICRO-SOCIOLOGICAL

{THE EMPIRICAL EXTRAPOLATION OF

SIMMELIAN URBAN HYPOTHESES}

·         DEVELOPED FIRST URBAN THEORY IN US, PREVIOUS URBAN SOCIOLOGY COMPRISED ESSENTIALLY DESCRIPTIVE STUDIES

·         FOCUS ON URBANISM--URBAN LIFESTYLE--MORE THAN ON STRUCTURE

·         DEFINITION OF CITY WAS THAT IT WAS LARGE, DENSE WITH PERMANENT SETTLEMENT AND SOCIALLY AND CULTURALLY HETEROGENEOUS PEOPLE, AND SO URBANISM WAS A FUNCTION OF POPULATION DENSITY, SIZE AND HETEROGENEITY:

1)      POPULATION SIZE: CREATES GREAT DIVERSITY BECAUSE LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER LOGICALLY INCREASE POTENTIAL DIFFERENTIATION AMONG THEMSELVES, AND WITH MIGRATION OF DIVERSE GROUPS TO CITY; CREATES NEED FOR FORMAL CONTROL STRUCTURES, E.G. LEGAL SYSTEMS; SUPPORTS PROLIFERATION OF FURTHER COMPLEX DIVISION OF LABOUR SPECIALIZATION; ORGANIZES HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS ON INTEREST-SPECIFIC BASIS, I.E. "SOCIAL SEGMENTALIZATION", WHERE SECONDARY RELATIONSHIPS ARE PRIMARY, IN ESSENCE URBAN TIES ARE RELATIONSHIPS OF UTILITY; CREATES POSSIBILITY OF DISORGANIZATION AND DISINTEGRATION

2)     POPULATION DENSITY: INTENSIFIES EFFECTS OF LARGE POPULATION SIZE ON SOCIAL LIFE; MANIFESTS QUALITY OF SEPARATENESS, E.G. ECONOMIC FORCES AND SOCIAL PROCESSES PRODUCE READILY IDENTIFIABLE DISTINCT NEIGHBOURHOOD, "ECOLOGICAL SPECIALIZATION"; FOSTERS A LOSS OF SENSITIVITY TO MORE PERSONAL ASPECTS OF OTHERS, INSTEAD TENDENCY TO CATEGORIZE AND STEREOTYPE; RESULTS IN GREATER TOLERANCE OF DIFFERENCE BUT AT SAME TIME PHYSICAL CLOSENESS INCREASES SOCIAL DISTANCE; MAY INCREASE ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR.

3)  POPULATION HETEROGENEITY: WITH SOCIAL INTERACTION AMONG MANY PERSONALITY TYPES RESULTS IN BREAKDOWN OF THE RIGIDITY OF CASTE LINES AND COMPLICATES CLASS STRUCTURE, THUS INCREASED SOCIAL MOBILITY; WITH SOCIAL MOBILITY TEND TO HAVE PHYSICAL MOBILITY; LEADS TO FURTHER DEPERSONALIZATION WITH CONCENTRATION OF DIVERSE PEOPLE.

 

HOW CAN URBAN AREAS BECOME MORE LIVABLE?

·         GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITY OR URBAN PLANNERS? WHY? (SHOULD IT BE POLITICAL OR RATIONAL DECISION).

·         (LEWIS WIRTH) IN ORDER TO ACTUALIZE THE TOTAL SYSTEM OF THE CITY -- TO ENABLE THE "COMMUNITY-AS-A-WHOLE" TO ACT AS A UNIT -- YOU HAVE TO INCREASE RELIANCE UPON RATIONAL-COMPREHENSIVE URBAN PLANNING.

TO ACHIEVE THIS OBJECTIVE HE WANTED TO ASSIGN IMPORTANT POLITICAL FUNCTIONS TO URBAN PLANNERS.

{URBAN PLANNING – "REPRESENTS THE FORMAL, INSTITUTIONAL ATTEMPT TO REGULATE THE PHYSICAL, ECOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF URBAN GROWTH AND STRUCTURE ACCORDING TO SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES AND INTERESTS" (McGahan, 257) ======> SEEKS TO "HARNESS" URBANIZATION SYSTEMATICALLY.INTERSECTING WITH URBAN PLANNING -- PERSONAL AND SOCIAL SPACE, SPACIAL INVASION AND TERRITORIALITY IN CITIES (AS THEY AFFECT QUESTIONS OF DESIGN (INSTITUTIONAL/ COMMUNITY) -- URBAN RENEWAL, URBAN POPULISM, URBAN MUNICIPAL REORGANIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF NEW COMMUNITIES. (HERE) (STIFLING) ADMINISTRATIVE POLITICS IS REPLACE -- BY A CONSENSUAL POLITICAL ORDER BASED UPON PRINCIPLES OF RATIONALITY AND SCIENTIFIC URBAN PLANNING (MEGACITY?). RATIONAL INTELLECTUAL DISCOURSE ABOUT SOCIAL ILLS AND POLICY PROBLEMS MIGHT TRANSCEND THE LIMITED AND PARTICULARISTIC PERSPECTIVES OF "SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS”.}

RATIONAL INTELLECTUAL DISCOURSE ABOUT SOCIAL ILLS AND POLICY PROBLEMS MIGHT TRANSCEND THE LIMITED AND PARTICULARISTIC PERSPECTIVES OF "SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS".

(WIRTH) HOPED THAT EMPIRICAL RESEARCH WOULD BECOME A BASIC PLANNING TOOL, PROVIDING THE VITAL LINK BETWEEN THEORETICAL ANALYSIS AND PUBLIC POLICY.

WIRTH BELIEVED THE "HUMAN ECOLOGY" WAS THE APPROACH BEST SUITED TO PROVIDE URBAN PLANNING WITH A WELL-GROUNDED THEORETICAL BASE.