Edward Glaeser: The Triumph Of Cities

Urban history, as a tool, has drastically changed our understanding of cities over the centuries. ‘Urban histories possessed an explanatory power far above the intricate workings of one city; providing larger narratives centered on industrialization or other macro-economic developments’.

The collection of articles, “The Shame of the Cities” written by Lincoln Steffens, evidently reveals the history of corruption in many American cities during the 18th and 19th century. The chapter, “Pittsburg: A City Ashamed” focuses wholly on the effect Christopher Magee had on the city of Pittsburg during the time of his ruling. With the help of William Flinn, Thomas Bigelow, and E.M. Bigelow, Chris was in complete control over the city. While some of what he was doing was very helpful toward, it is undeniable that he was the cause of Pittsburgh’s extensive corruption.

Is it a coincidence certain areas only consist of black civilians or white civilians? The articles “The City as a Growth Machine by Logan and Molotch, Minoritized Space by Michel Laguerre and The Construction of the Ghetto by Massey and Denton demonstrate segregation between racial backgrounds are divided into into specific neighborhoods that contributes as a benefit towards whites. I will be arguing how the theory of Karl Marx on estranged labor is related into these article but also Angela Harris theory on Critical racial theory contributes, clarifies and supports the author 's reasons on why segregation still exists among communities. I will be connecting argument by adding evidence to support my argument with Karl Marx and Angela Harris theory within the articles.

Urbanization is a concept that is deeply rooted in the increase in a population within a region in response to the availability of unique opportunities. The opportunities may include the availability of employment chances in factories, investments opportunities in the urban areas, and the presence of sufficient housing and social infrastructure. It is apparent that urbanization began centuries ago in different regions of the world. However, the development of suburban areas has also been an interesting phenomenon over the centuries. Initially, people strived to live in the luxurious houses in major towns and cities. Nevertheless, there was a gradual shift in the desire to live in the cities when various negative impacts of overpopulation

“Cities are not approached simply as forums for economic and political confrontations but as places rich with meaning and value for those who live, work, and play in and near them” (Borer 2006). People assign characteristics and personality to cities. These traits are assumed to be as permanent and concrete as the physical city (Borer 2010). However, like the characteristics of a person’s identity may change over time, the identity of places is fluid and dynamic (Borer

The readings by Alba, Massey and Sampson discussed below all focus on the relationship between demographic living patterns and urban social and economic development. Cities as our author's explain are more than a homogenous center but rather an accumulation of various parts. One of the vital elements of a city is its people. People interact with cities in several manners, as workers, citizens, tourists, developers, each influencing and being influenced by the urban environment. The arguments provided by the author's this week stress the importance of understanding how a city interacts with its citizens in order to understand the larger, more general social and economic trends present.

The selected articles for the topic of “Cities and social division” deals with a range of trends and challenges cities and urban areas face today, from the phenomenon of gentrification and urban sprawl to the provision of public services such as waste collection and education. The articles frequently explore these topics in the context of their relation to culture, demography, economics, and politics. This paper will explore the convergences and divergences between the articles and their choice of themes, approaches, and sources.

The city of Venice has a long enriched history that deals with a lot of the basic planning and development issues that have been discussed in our readings and in lectures. While one of the biggest factors in the city’s development is the topography, Venice shows a different factor in how a city can be planned. As discussed in much of the material provided by Ackroyd, the planning and development of Venice featured a heavily intense economic segregation. With the exploitation of their location in the world, Venice became a key part of the worlds trade routes. Many view Venice as one of the forerunners to the modern day Capitalistic economy due to the way that they planned and developed their states infrastructure. By analyzing the content provided we are able to make a clearer understanding on how the city grew and become what it is today.

A man named Orville Simpson II has an idea to build virtual utopias, called Victory Cities. (Simpson, 1998) They are designed as cities built in the countryside, all connected through various types of transportation. There will be no crime, pollution, over population, or other everyday problems; it will be a utopia. A utopia is a place where there are no problems like death, poverty, or crime. It is “perfect” world (Merriam-Webster.com) A Victory City will have no everyday problems involved in it. Will Victory Cities be a successful utopia, or not?

Everyone at least once in their life has experienced love, whether it is from being in love or being loved. But, what is love? What can we learn from it? Even though Merriam-Webster dictionary simple definition of love is “a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person”, there are multiple meanings to this strong word. We may not know a lot about love, but we can get learn a lot from Ariel Sabar’s Heart of the City. A book that tells us the love stories of nine couples from the 1940s to the 2000s that met in the city of New York. The author’s inspiration of the book is from the romance of his own parents, who met at a park in New York. The main purpose of the book is to see how areas like public spaces can affect interaction with one another and the chances of meeting. After reading these stories, I believe it teaches us that love takes patience, and that love can cause a broken heart.

Urban studies aims to develop an understanding the modern city metropolis. As Savage et al. have pointed out, the urban encompasses far more than just the physical city itself; understanding the city help us to understand many aspects of modern life (2003, pp.4). Many of its features, such as mass media and public transport systems have spread throughout society over the past century. Sociological studies of urban life began with the landmark publication of 'The City' in 1925 by sociologists Robert Park, Ernest Burgess and Louis Wirth from the University of Chicago, students of Georg Simmel who shared his belief that the urban environment changed man's

Cities are generators of economic life and source of changes in the world. Thereby, Jane Jacobs in her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities puts into relief the role of cities on the social and economic levels, while denouncing the disastrous consequences of urban renewal programs. To that extent, in chapters 2 and 3, she discusses "The Uses of Sidewalks”, arguing that over all people need safety and trust in their city. Therefore, first she claims the necessity of keeping streets and sidewalks safe because they are the “vital organs” of cities (29). Secondly, she argues that the functioning of cities should be organized in order to foster human interaction in which “casual public

For several people, cities consider a universe of new opportunities, including employment (UNFPA, 2016). There is a powerful link between urbanization and economic growth (UNFPA, 2016). Throughout the world, towns and cities are responsible for above %80 of gross public goods (UNFPA, 2016). Over and over the excellent life has been pictured as a big private house and spacious green yard where children can play with the dog, and they have the advantage of large areas which the hard routine urban life cannot provide. However, the world turned to be a small village due to scientific and technological development which included all

The case for the ideal city has been discussed from the Socrates era to the modern day. People have made many suggestions on how to form an ideal city where there will be balance, justice, rights, and equality; but not many are logistic. Plato argues in his Republic that to form a just city, there must be order, structure, and strict roles; a stark opposite to a modern-day festival that takes place in the middle of a Nevada desert called Burning Man. This festival promotes a society in which there are no strict roles; what people bring to the week-long event is what they can give in exchange for other items they may need. This festival provides a platform in which creativity along with expression are the forefront to its’ existence. Plato’s Republic defines justice as a tension between justice and equality, furthermore where each part of the whole does the job which is appropriate to it. Burning Man defines freedom through allowing a radically different sense of inclusion, giving, and finding one’s inner self through a community that is supportive as well as open. The more ideal city is Plato’s Republic as it provides structure, order, and security; all things humans thrive on for survival.

The process of people moving into cities, which is called urbanisation, was happening around the world in past decades. It causes cities to have more labourers and resources than before. This makes a big contribution to the social development of cities. Thanks to these social developments, public services are becoming better in these areas. Citizens can enjoy a better life by access these public services such as better medical care, more education resources and well-built transport. It means an equitable society can be created. An equitable society means citizens can have more opportunities to access social resources and to live a better life. This essay will argue that