Urban People and Places

An undergraduate exploration of urban sociology, giving balanced treatment to both the process by which cities are built (urbanization) and the ways of life practiced by people that live and work in more urban places (urbanism).

Providing a thorough and comprehensive survey of the contemporary urban world that is accessible to students, Urban People and Places: The Sociology of Cities, Suburbs, and Towns will give balanced treatment to both the process by which cities are built (i.e., urbanization) and the ways of life practiced by people that live and work in more urban places (i.e., urbanism) unlike most core texts in this area. Whereas most texts focus on the socio-economic causes of urbanization, this text analyses the cultural component: how the physical construction of places is, in part, a product of cultural beliefs, ideas, and practices and also how the culture of those who live, work, and play in various places is shaped, structured, and controlled by the built environment. Inasmuch as the primary focus will be on the United States, global discussion is composed with an eye toward showing how U.S. cities, suburbs, and towns are different and alike from their counterparts in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America

1. Urbanization as a Worldwide Phenomenon
2. Urbanization in More and Less Developed Countries
3. Urbanization in the United States
4. Classic Statements about Cities & Communities
5. Contemporary Perspectives and Cities & Communities
6. Civic Culture and the Politics of Community
7. Among Kin, Friends and Strangers: Social Control in Cities, Suburbs and Towns
8. How Social Scientists, Planners and Reformers Figure out What′s Going on and What Needs Fixing
9. Fixing People and Places
10. Embracing the Cultures of Urban People and Places