Urbanisation and the environment
For the first time in history, most people live in cities, with major effects on society and the planet.
The growth of cities
Urbanisation is the growth of cities and the share of people living in them. Industrialisation drew rural people to factory towns. Suburbs grew in the twentieth century with cars and highways. Today, megacities of more than ten million people, many in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, are growing fastest, often with large informal settlements.
Urban sociology
The concentric zone model of the Chicago School described cities as rings around a central business district. Gentrification occurs when wealthier residents move into lower-income neighbourhoods, raising rents and often displacing long-time residents. Sociologists study how cities can be both centres of opportunity and of inequality.
Environment and society
Environmental sociology examines how societies affect and are affected by the environment. The tragedy of the commons describes how individuals acting in self-interest can overuse a shared resource like a fishery. Environmental racism refers to the pattern of minority and low-income communities being exposed to more pollution and hazards.
Flashcard
The growth of cities and urban populations
Check your understanding
Several polluting factories and a waste dump are placed near a mainly minority, low-income neighbourhood. This is an example of: