Urban Sociology Final Review

Conceptual ambiguity

One has a general sense of what the word means, but pinning down a precise definition becomes more difficult.

• artifacts, or products of human labor that take a
• tangible form (i.e., goods)

knowledge, ideas, values, beliefs, customs, norms, behaviors

• elements of material or adaptive culture that are
• accessible and appreciated by a large number of people in a society.

Elements of material or adaptive culture that are usually appreciated by only a small number of educated people in a society.

Represent social groups within a larger society that adopt cultural practices that are unique in some way from the cultural practices that are dominant in the society.

To make sense of the political and economic changes that have occurred in US cities in the post-Reagan period.

• * Deindustrialization and globalization of manufacturing industries.
• * A new wave of high tech industrialization
• * The growth of corporate complexes or business networks between corporate headquarters and producer services.
• * The growth of jobs in the service sector of the economy in general
• * The growth of jobs in occupations requiring the creation, processing and distribution of knowledge and information.

Expansion of financial services and the growing importance of the stock market and other financial institutions.

Financial services, artistic institutions, media, music, clothing design and production, architecture, and more.

• (a) They represent sources of economic growth in metropolitan economies; and
• (b) They produce cultural symbols which contribute toward the social construction of a city's image.

The revitalization and upgrading of decaying inner-city housing

BID represents a neighborhood-level organization that allows businesses and property owners within a designated district of a city to voluntarily levy an extra tax on themselves. This extra money is used to support the organization.

Creativity

The ability to create useful new forms or innovations (products) with economic value out of available knowledge.

Creative activities have become mainstreamed and an entire economic infrastructure is being built around them.

• 1. New systems for technological creativity.
• 2. New and more effective models for producing goods and services.
• 3. A broad social, cultural and geographic milieu conductive to creativity of all sorts.

Promotes a modular factory system where the division of labor is split between different companies.

Employs a small managerial, design, and marketing staff.

The rise of the creative economy has produced changes in the class structure of the US.

People who add economic value through their creativity

The super-creative core and creative professionals.

Works in occupations that fully engage in the creative process and the highest order of creative work that include producing new forms and designs, and goods, and services that are perceived to be widely useful. ie. scientists, engineers, etc.

Consists of works who think independently on their jobs and draw upon the complex bodies of knowledge to solve problems. Their jobs typically require high levels of education. ie. Doctors, lawyers, etc.

Agriculture, working class, service class, and the creative class.

The service class

Agriculture

Because the class is there to help support the creative class.

The creative class

Individuality, meritocracy, and diversity/Openness

Embrace creative class values (individuality, tolerance for diversity, meritocracy). Develop infrastructure to support creative class lifestyles (construct "bohemian" districts with art galleries, coffee shops, nouvelle cuisine restaurants)

That the creation of new jobs will lead to population growth which is the reciprocal of Florida

Cities must find ways of expanding and retaining their base of creative workers. In turn high tech firms will start up or locate in the city.

Multi-dimensional social inequality

Because of the social relations of production underlying this economic system

The potential of realizing greater earnings and wealth provides incentives for workers to: Work harder/increase their productivity and invent new products

Creating inequality within the working class through stratifying salaries and wages.

Where particular segments of the working class are allocated high wages, benefits, and job security.

The rise of the metropolitan area as the key urban unit; the growth of upscale suburbs; and the growth of edge cities

After the Revolutionary war; immigrants from England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland

From 1820-1880. Irish, Germans, and Scandinavians

1880-1920 from Jewish, Slavic, Polish, Italian, and Greek heritage

1968 to present of Hispanic and Asian heritage.

21-22 years of age

The Great Migration

• * Large presence of the military
• * Presence of universities
• * Greater equality in white/African American incomes

De-industrialization and economic restructuring

• * To examine how economic restructuring is related to the rise of joblessness and an urban underclass among African Americans in the inner city neighborhoods of US cities.
• * To examine the social effects of economic restructuring and joblessness on inner city neighborhoods

• a. The level of education required for a job; and
• b. The difficulty in acquiring the skill(s) needed to perform the job at a competent level.

Worker whose job is to push a button on a computerized machine that grinds intraocular lenses

Worker who writes software programs for the computerized machine that grinds intraocular lenses

• a. Job opportunities in low-skilled manufacturing occupations have declined.
• b. Real wages for low-skilled workers have declined at a higher rate compared to other segments of the labor force
• c. Job ladders (opportunities for promotion within a company) have declined and many less-skilled workers have been forced to stagnate in dead-end, low-paying jobs.

• * The decline of inner city employment
• * The shift of employment growth to the suburbs
• * The obstacles to employment posed by spatial mismatch

• * Commute time
• * Lack of public transportation with easy access
• * Costs result in an insufficient increase in income

A decrease in population density

High fear of crime, feelings of isolation, and an attitude of futility and a lack of self-efficacy

Residents begin to doubt their ability to accomplish conventional goals; and/or they believe that their efforts will ultimately be futile because of discrimination and a world that is uncaring and unresponsive to their efforts.

• a. To describe the extent to which residential segregation for African Americans still exists in America, despite laws prohibiting discrimination in housing.
• b. To examine the causes of this phenomenon.

prohibited discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing on the basis of race, religion, and national origin.

By the end of the 1970s, the image of poor minority families mired in an endless cycle unemployment, unwed childbearing, illiteracy and gov't dependency had become firmly entrenched in public discourse concerning urban poverty and housing.

The culture of poverty, racism, and two others that weren't on the powerpoint