Impacts of Urbanization in the United States (Essay Sample)

Urbanization in the United States
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Urbanization in the United States
Urbanization, or the mass movement of populations from rural to urban settings, has long been connected to human growth and progress. However, recent studies have proved that urban environments can result in significant inequalities, the transformation of societal organizations, change of demographic structures, the role of the family, nature of work, and redefine the concept of individual and societal responsibility. In giving illustration to this, sociologist brings several theories through which Urbanization can be understood (Jayne & Ward, 2016). This essay will break down claims by sociologists on the issues of Urbanization in the United States and bring about an argument by sociologists on what pertains to Urbanization and its impacts. The following essay will discuss some sociological theories such as functionalism, conflict theory, and symbiotic interactionism.
In the 20th century, sociologists made critical contributions to urban studies, emphasizing urban ecology to radical new urban sociology, emphasizing the neo-Marxist and neo-Weberian approaches. In both, sociologists' strategies position themselves as prominent reformists and critics of the urban society intimately connect with the resolution and identification of the social issues (della Porta, 2017). However, the idea of crisis in urban sociology is partially rooted in the evolving nature of the urban problems experienced in the 20th century and the resultant upsurge in cities' interdisciplinary study.
According to the functionalist perspective, sociologist views the development of urban centers as a function for society's development. This is because the contemporary society has experienced a change in social structure, whereas, in the past, cities functioned as production and distribution centers, today they work like finance, education, administrative, and information centers (Sjoberg, 2018; Kelly, & Archibald, 2019). In the following theory, various sociologists argue that the expansion of urban regions results in an increased rate of normlessness, given that the bond between social groups and individuals tends to weaken. Besides, the theory also examines other organization dysfunctions such as overcrowding, Urbanization, and environmental destruction.
In the conflict theory, sociologists emphasize the role of wealth, power, and the profit motive towards the growth and operations of the urban regions; through this, sociologists discuss how distribution and production of goods result in urban centers' development. The following perspective also emphasizes how corporations and policymakers based decisions affect urban populations on economic considerations. In providing a clear conflict theory concept, sociologist emphasizes the importance of an interaction between the financial and political institutions (Kelly, & Archibald, 2019). In such a way of thinking, sociology brings home the point that a city's economic and political elites tend to collaborate to advance their respective interests. This results in the poor being displaced from their homes to give room for structures prone to favor the rich; this includes posh shopping malls, corporate facilities, high-rise buildings, etc. In symbiotic interactionism, sociologists emphasize how labels, meanings, and definitions affect a community's behaviors. The following theory also focuses on the social forces acting on an individual's self-concept, behaviors, and values. Through these sociologists, individuals tend to identify with their environment, as seen with the urban dwellers.
Inferring to the sociologist's perspective on Urbanization in the U.S, cities' growth occurs on productive agricultural land. Referring to actual human food, Clement (2015) states that the reduction in Net Primary Productivity, as seen in the agriculturally viable lands, does substitute the food products that are useful in satisfying the caloric needs of over 16 million Americans (6% of the country's population). According to sociologists, cities across the United States resulted from deforestation and transforming the fertile lands into built environments; nevertheless, the intensified use of land as an aspect of Urbanization remains important development as it involves some of the precarious changes in both the "natural" and "built environme