Urbanism as a Way of Life: Louis Wirth

Urbanism as a Way of Life: Louis Wirth

The Unbridled growth of industries let to the growth of cities which can be best seen in United Kingdom, later on  in 1801 about a fifth of its population lived in towns and cities.  By 1901, the year of Queen Victoria’s death, the census recorded three-quarters of the population as urban. In the span of a century a largely rural society had become a largely urban one.

The pattern was repeated on a European and then a world scale as industrialization proceeded. At the beginning of the 19th century less than 10 percent urbanized, with respect to cities of 10,000 or more; by the end of the century it was about 30 percent urbanized It was almost similar in all parts of the world.

As with population growth, it was in the underdeveloped nations that the fastest rates of urban growth were to be found. The rapidly expanding population of a countryside unable to support it sought the city for both escape and opportunity, though in many cases it was a perilous choice. Between 1900 and 1950, the world’s population grew by 50 percent, the urban population grew over 200 percent.

But while urbanization in the underdeveloped nations repeats some of the more distressing features of its Western counterpart—overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and unemployment—the compensation and eventual remedy of economic growth has been largely lacking. The underdeveloped world has known urbanization without industrialization. The result has been the rapid growth of ghettos on the edges of the big cities.

Urbanism is not mearly urban growth. But it is a matter, of culture and consciousness. Urbanism is a way of life, as classically analyzed by the German sociologist Georg Simmel and the American sociologist Louis Wirth.

But whether they deplored or praised urban life, most commentators have agreed that, with industrialism, the city moved into a pivotal new relation with society as a whole. Preindustrial cities were islands in an agrarian sea.

With industrialization, the countryside now became dependent on the city.  The cities were thickly populated. The influx of population to urban, industrial areas also led to the growth of slums.

 In the essay of “Urbanism as a Way of Life” Louis Wirth in 1938, has been an influential piece of work that has attracted many urban sociologists. The characteristics he found were size of  population, heterogeneity of the urban population and density of  population which define the sociology aspects in an urban city.  These characteristics paved the way for impersonal, transitory and secondary social relationship which was based on formal, anonymous rational interest.  This contributed to the development of a peculiarly “urban way of life” and a urban personality.

Prof. Ram Ahuja says that urbanism Is a way of life which is characterized by certain elements such as transiency (short-term relations), superficiality, (impersonal and formal relations with limited number of people,) anonymity (not knowing names and lacking Intimacy) and individualism (people giving more importance to one’s vested interests).

Louis Wirth, Urbanism is a way of life, is characterized by extensive conflicts of norms and values, by rapid social change, by increased social differentiation, greater social mobility, by higher levels of education and income, by emphasis on material possessions and individualism, by impersonality of relationships and decline in Intimate communication and by increase in formal social controls.

Size of  population:

Wirth believed that the larger the population size it produces great diversity in the cultural and occupational characteristics of a city.

This happens as a result of :

·       A large population migrate to urban space.

·       Migration of diverse population to cities.

·       This large population with diverse cultural background need a formal control system.

·       This large population supports proliferation of specialization.

·       Specialization organizes human relationships more on an interest basis often called social segmentalization.

Heterogeneity of the urban population:

·       Heterogeneity of the urban population, breaks down the rigidity of rural caste, but also complicates the  class structure.

·       This results in mobility of people from one social level to another without the clutches of caste.

·       Since a vast majority of the population in urban areas do not own land they are able to move freely.

 Density of  population:

·       The consequence of a large population effects the social life of the population.

·       It differentiate the different segments into clear boundaries, rather than sameness we experience in rural areas.

·       Such neighbourhood is called, natural areas, revealing that such places evolved unplanned.

·       Wirth also states that urbanites also have a tendency towards stereotypical and categorical thinking means a person grasping the city through visible symbols, clothing cars, fashionable streets etc.

·       In cities, physical closeness tends to increase social distancing.

·       Forced into physical proximity, city dwellers close off or tune out those around them.

·       He to believed like simmel that city life may create antisocial behavior.

In conclusion, Louis Wirth believed that size of population, heterogeneity and density interacted to produce the unique way of life.

He believed that city would act as an acid, that would eventually dissolve the traditional values and evolve a new meaningful relationship.

He too believed that city will provide its dwellers with great freedom.

Wirth understood the essence of urban living was being Cosmopolitan- literally belonging to  all the world.

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