Urbanism as a Way of Life - Assignment Example

History Urban Life The permanent settlement of formerly nomadic people in the Mediterranean basin marked the beginning ofWestern civilization. Likewise, the urbanization due to the settlement of people in centers and large settlements gave way to the growth of great cities and modernization of the way of living of our civilization. The cities are products of gradual growth and hence the influence of the city life on the ways of life of city residents should not dominate the previous modes of life among humans. Further, a big percentage of the population was originally from the countryside where the social life is characterized by modes of settlement similar to early folk societies. Thus it is expected that there will not be occurrences of abrupt and discontinuous variations in personality between people living in the city and those on the countryside. However, recent studies have revealed that the experience of country folks moving to the city has been characterized by hardship where many feel left out while others just fail to adapt to the busy city life. This paper seeks to research and discuss the similarities between Louis Wirths "Urbanism as a Way of Life" and Cara Buckleys article in The New York Times. According to both authors, the rapidity and recentness of urbanization in the United States is a major course of the problems faced in urban centers and the lack of awareness towards them. The urban centers are populated densely by individuals from diverse cultures and religions which leads to very different modes of life among the city inhabitants. There is a wide variability and segmentation of individuals and a significant absence of intimacy in the relation between fellow city inhabitants which are generally superficial and short lived. According to Wirth (2), the heterogeneity of the urban population results in disintegrated social structures which promote mobility, instability and insecurity. Buckley’s article also reflects Wirth’s ideology that the social life in urban centers is superficial and there are distant social relations. Buckley writes about the experiences of newcomers in the New York City and how it changes the personality and social behavior patterns of the people who move to the city. This is depicted in Lisa Phin’s case who is 25 and moved to the city from Dallas (Buckley 2008). She had a hard time making friends and out of the loneliness she faced she resorted to building friendships through online websites. The tight schedules, routines and the usual bustle of the city life quickly take the newcomers in a city by surprise and if they fail to adapt quickly they become alienated. It becomes a necessity to quickly adapt though most still find the city a lot to handle for a while after they settle in. Both articles agree that the personal relations that are characterized by the social life in the countryside are quickly replaced by monetary links and institutions cater for large groups of people instead of individual needs. The city dwellers begin to consider themselves a part of a bigger organization and they realize their role in the team rather than their own individual participation. According to Wirth (12), the superficiality, anonymity and transitory character of the social life of people in urban centers enable them to make intelligible decisions in their daily lives and it grants them the sophistication and rationality that is characteristic of city dwellers. They tend to make relationships that will benefit them in one way or another in that each of their roles that they play on a daily basis is a means of achieving each of their needs. The personal achievements are considered a liberation or an independence from the common controls of the majority efforts which inhibits self-expression, morale and the sense of participation that is characterized by team work. As both authors reveal, the urban life are occasioned and promoted by the division of labor which is characteristic in the city and urban centers. The high levels of interdependence between city dwellers and the unstable equilibrium of urban life are related to the division of labor and specialization of different occupations. For communities such as the New York City dwellers with a high population that it becomes impossible to engage in intimate interpersonal relationships, indirect mediums are devised to enhance communication and delegation is utilized to enable them to express their individual interests. While the individual does not count for much, the representative voices their interests to the population they address. The individual can further express their personal interests by indulging in clubs and individual classes where they meet new people and learn new ways of surviving in the city. However, too much effort to fit in an urban settlement are not always justified. As Buckley (2008) depicts in the example of Ms. Kasbeer, the newcomer only began to fit in the urban life after she stopped trying so hard to fit in. she was able to take part in local activities and forged new friendships in a self-discovery process which helped her feel at home. The experience of newcomers in cities is not always an uplifting one. Some lose a lot more than they hope to gain in the city. Buckley discusses the case of Mr. Ingersoll who loses all his savings while trying to settle in New York City. Similarly, Wirth discusses about the effects of the close working relations of people who have no sentimental or emotional attachments to each other promotes competition, elevation, self-preservation and mutual exploitation. This leads to the use of formal controls as a resort to ensure order and responsibility. Both articles discuss the problems that arise from the frequent close physical interactions and the great social distance among unattached individuals in the cities. According to Wirth (16), these interactions coupled with other unexplored reasons such as personal reserve lead to loneliness among the city dwellers. Despite its necessity, the movement of large numbers of people of diverse origins to a congested habitat leads to friction and irritation which lead to tension. These sentiments are echoed in Buckley’s article where various city dwellers found themselves acting differently in the city as compared to other places. Both articles give insight of the challenges that are faced by city dwellers and newcomers in a new city alike. They shed light on the various aspects of city life that cause the city dwellers to behave and interact as they do. References Buckley, Cara. "New and Living in the City." N.Y. / Region. New York Times, 26 Aug. 2008. Web. 13 May 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/nyregion/27arrival.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0 Chen X., Orum A.M., and Paulsen K.E. Introduction to cities: how place and space shape human experience. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. 2012. Stanley S. Guterman. American Journal of Sociology. Vol. 74, No. 5 (Mar., 1969), pp. 492-499. Wirth, Louis. Urbanism as a way of life. 1938. Reprint. New York: Ardent Media Incorporated, 1993. Read More