{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.