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Summary

Cities provide numerous opportunities for their residents and offer significant benefits including access to goods to numerous job opportunities. At the same time, high population areas can lead to tensions between demographic groups, as well as environmental strain. While the population of urban dwellers is continuing to rise, sources of social strain are rising along with it. The ultimate challenge for today’s urbanites is finding an equitable way to share the city’s resources while reducing the pollution and energy use that negatively impacts the environment.

Short answer

What are the differences between the suburbs and the exurbs, and who is most likely to live in each?

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Most major cities in core countries are postindustrial. Can you think of an example of a growing city that is still in its industrial phase? How is it different from most U.S. cities?

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Considering the concentric zone model, what type of zone were you raised in? Is this the same or different as that of earlier generations in your family? What type of zone do you reside in now? Do you find that people from one zone stereotype those from another? If so, how?

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Further research

Interested in learning more about the latest research in the field of human ecology? Visit the Society for Human Ecology web site to discover what’s emerging in this field: (External Link)

Getting from place to place in urban areas might be more complicated than you think. Read the latest on pedestrian-traffic concerns at the Urban Blog web site: (External Link)

References

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Burgess, Ernest. 1925. “The Growth of the City.” Pp. 47–62 in The City , edited by R. Park and E. Burgess. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Chandler, Tertius and Gerald Fox. 1974. 3000 Years of Urban History . New York: Academic Press.

Dougherty, Connor. 2008. “The End of White Flight.” Wall Street Journal , July 19. Retrieved December 12, 2011 ( (External Link) ).

Feagin, Joe, and Robert Parker. 1990. Building American Cities: The Urban Real Estate Game . 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

France24. 2010. “Sarkozy Promises War without Mercy for Paris Suburbs.” France 24 , April 10. Retrieved December 9, 2011 ( (External Link) ).

Hochschild, Arlie. 2001. “The Nanny Chain.” The American Prospect , December 19. Retrieved December 9, 2011 ( (External Link) ).

LeBlanc, Adrien Nicole. 2003. Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble and Coming of Age in the Bronx . New York: Scribner.

Park, Robert. 1934 [1915]. “The City: Suggestions for Investigations of Human Behavior in the City.” American Journal of Sociology 20:577–612.

Park, Robert. 1936. “Human Ecology.” American Journal of Sociology 42:1–15.

Old Bailey Proceedings Online. 2011. “Population History of London.” Retrieved December 11, 2011 ( (External Link) ).

Sciolino, Elaine, and Ariane Bernand. 2006. “Anger Festering in French Areas Scarred in Riots.” New York Times , October 21. Retrieved December 11, 2011 ( (External Link)&sq=paris+suburb&st=nyt ).

Sinclair, Upton. 1906. The Jungle . New York: Doubleday.

Sjoberg, Gideon. 1965. The Preindustrial City: Past and Present . New York: Free Press.

Talbot, Margaret. 2003. “Review: Random Family. Love, Drugs, Trouble and Coming of Age in the Bronx.” New York Times , February 9. Retrieved December 12, 2011 ( (External Link)&src=pm ).

United States Department of Labor. “Women in the Labor Force in 2010.” Retrieved January 23, 2012 ( (External Link) ).

Waite, Linda J. 1981. “U.S. Women at Work.” Santa Monica, CA: The Rand Corporation. Retrieved January 23, 2012 ( (External Link) ).

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Source:  OpenStax, Introduction to sociology. OpenStax CNX. Jun 12, 2012 Download for free at https://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11407/1.7
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