Lecture 1 9/27/161.What is “Urban”•clustering of different people in space•economics•people have a series of weak ties•URBAN STUDIES-study of a social and economic environment•commonality across time, but also difference•THE OBJECTIVE OF URBAN STUDIES•define the Urban:• a dense and discrete geographical unit(maybe//maybe not) •separates insiders from outsiders•ex: Los Angeles, Mexico City, NYC•concentration of people produces cultural and economic dynasties that aredistinct from other cities•people in cities are tied more closely together than they are with ppl of their country•a large settlement(maybe//maybe not)—does size matter?•size contributes—more numbers you have increases the level of diversity•numbers trigger specialization in terms of culture and economics•more industry results in more competition which results in greater need for specialization which results in a more complex division of labor•when you find ppl like yourself—more likely to form groups in which interests are expressed•however, this leads to competition—fighting for interests and norms, which results in political/normal conflicts•size induces the multiplication of groups•types of cultures and norms produced in cities spreads through social media, transportation systems, etc.•THE MESSINESS OF CITIES•Messy Moral and Cultural Worlds: The City as Space of Freedom AND Deviance•Messy Relational Spaces: The City as Space of Conflict AND Cooperation•greater freedom in city•What is relativism? •everyone knows each other—•but when you go to the city, more ppl like you—there is a common ethic that is developed•CITY AIR MAKES YOU FREE•too complex to ostracize or banish unique and sometimes deviant behavior•bc it is more free—there are higher levels or criminality and drug use, etc. and higher rates of depression and sense of alienation•cities are also a place of conflict and cooperation•competition over common resources
