Before reading Wirth’s article, I had not given much thought to the kind of characteristics that are associated with a city and why this is might be important to study. Wirth says that in order for a community to be recognized as a city it must contain three major characteristics: a large population size, high population density, and social heterogeneity. When Wirth includes a large population size in his definition, I immediately recognize how this still holds true today by just looking at Chicago. Wirth’s mentioning of a high population density and social heterogeneity play a significant role in creating the city of Chicago. I do believe that his definition still holds true today; however he does lack to include other important features that create a city today.
Wirth states that a city is heterogeneous; however he does not expand on this particular characteristic. He does not emphasize enough the ways in which people are truly segregated in a city. Wirth mentions that people become segregated due to differences in race, language, income, and social status; however he does not acknowledge that people are sometimes segregated not because of their own choices. I may be way off here but I do believe that those in charge of making the city look appealing has an effect on how people perceive certain parts of the city to be. What I mean by this is if one travels from the North side of Chicago to the South side, one can visually see the differences of the city by the buildings and the accessories located on them. Last winter during a Verandah course with Dr. Geraty, I noticed that the northern parts of Chicago were encompassed with many, many lights and other Christmas decoration. As our class moved past the Loop, we noticed that the further south we went the less lights and Christmas decorations we saw. The further south we went the less appealing the city looked. I do believe this is an important feature to discuss because if certain parts of a city look less glamorous than others, then people are less likely to travel to those areas.
Another significant feature that needs to be a part of Wirth’s definition is how a city is more likely to be in the public limelight than a small town/ suburb is. Media outlets tend to claim cities to be dangerous and a place where those with children should not be living in. They also tend to highlight certain parts of a city where individuals should never find themselves at. By perpetuating these messages through television, internet, and radio many individuals come fear those certain parts of a city and never go there. I do believe that this is unfair and damaging to a neighborhood because it creates and maintains the stereotypes associated with a particular neighborhood, which may not even be true at all. Media outlets are a major characteristic of a city prividing both positive and negative perceptions.
However, Louis Wirth’s article is a very intriguing and makes me think about all the other cities in the world. I do believe that his writing is a bit vague; however, the article does cause great discussion and debate of what characteristics are associated with a city.
Arlinda, you make a fantastic point here about the fact that inequality, segregation and division are central to the urban experience. This is true around the world but I think it is ESPECIALLY true of Chicago, which is still one of the more racially segregated cities in North America. Indeed, in the 1980s, African American residents used to jokingly refer to Chicago as "Johannesburg on the Lake," drawing a parallel with the racial segregation here and the legal segregation that existed in South Africa under apartheid. We'll be discussing this topic later in the term...
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