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Chapter 15 Population and Urban Life

Chapter 15 Population and Urban Life. The Demographic Transition Population and Social Structure: Two Examples Population Growth, Environment, and Poverty Population in the United States Urbanization Place of Residence and Social Relationships.  The Demographic Transition.

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Chapter 15 Population and Urban Life

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  1. Chapter 15Population and Urban Life • The Demographic Transition • Population and Social Structure: Two Examples • Population Growth, Environment, and Poverty • Population in the United States • Urbanization • Place of Residence and Social Relationships

  2.  The Demographic Transition • Decline in mortality in the West was related to better nutrition and sanitation. • Decline in fertility was probably related, for the most part, to changes in values and life styles.

  3. Ghana: A Case Study • The crude birth rate is about 34 and the crude death rate is around 10. • Women who do not bear at least four children are not valued. • Society cannot maintain schools, sanitation systems, or an adequate infrastructure under such great populations pressures.

  4. Europe: Is Fertility Too Low? Four areas of concern: • Fear of “population suicide.” • Excess in the proportion of older people, involving increased expenses related to social services. • Shortages in the labor force. • Nationalistic fears related to low resources.

  5. Population in the United States • Fertility per woman is about 2.1. • Most people who live to age 65 can expect to live another 15 or 20 years. • Immigration accounts for an increase of about one million people per year.

  6. Internal Migration in the U.S. Three trends: • People are migrating from northern states into the Sunbelt states of the South. • People are leaving the inner cities for the suburbs. • People are moving to rural areas and small towns. 

  7. Results of Internal Migration • Urbanization of poverty as those left behind are more often economically disadvantaged. • Declining tax base, especially in urban areas. • Environmental hazards related to automobiles required for commuting from the suburbs to the urban cores.

  8.  Theories of Urban Growth • Structural functional theory - urban development is seen as evolutionary and functional. • Conflict perspective - finds nothing natural in urban growth and decline.

  9. Theoretical Views of Urbanism • Urban determinism - urban living leads to a breakdown of everyday life. • Compositional model - neighborhoods within cities compose little worlds that have no particular ill effects. • Subcultural view - some communities require a critical mass found only in cities.

  10. Suburban Problems • Housing costs have escalated beyond the means of many would-be suburbanites. • Weak governments are ineffective in dealing with ill-considered zoning regulations. • Higher population densities are producing increased traffic congestion.

  11. Suburban Problems • Excessive dependency on automobiles. • Social isolation and alienation may accompany the life of commuters who come home to housing that discourages interaction among neighbors.

  12. Small Town and Rural Living • 25% of Americans live in small towns or rural settings. • Attracted by affordable housing, low crime rates, lots of open space, and a measure of freedom from the infamous “rat race.” 

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