Navigating Population, Urban Life, and the Environment
POPULATION
Theories
- Economy-based theories— development brings improvements to infrastructure, leading to lower mortality rates and fertility declines
- Demographic transition theory— lower birth rates follow a decline in death rates, bringing societies toward zero population growth (births = deaths)
- Ideology-based theories— changes in fertility are driven by changes in popular perceptions and values
- Institution-based theories— declines in fertility reflect changes in the structural aspects of society (e.g. childbearing is seen as an opportunity cost for today’s working women)
URBAN LIFE
Approaches
- Subcultural approach— focuses on the interpersonal dynamics of neighbourhood life
- Urban subcultures— allow individuals who are otherwise isolated within an impersonal city to form connections with others (e.g. Chinatown or Little Italy)
- Human ecology approach— focuses on the distribution of neighbourhoods, specifically their physical location with respect to one another
- Concentric zone theory— cities tend to develop in similar ways, giving rise to similar geographic patterns (Burgess)
ENVIRONMENT
Concepts
- “Greenwashing”— companies boost their image and profits by redesigning their products as “environmentally friendly”
- “Green consumers”— environmentally concerned citizens who put pressure on environmentally unfriendly corporations
- “Organics movement”— green consumers buy products from smaller, owner-run organic farms
- “Green” technologies— use fewer natural resources, becoming less expensive, but in turn lead to greater consumption
- Ecofeminism— opposes the exploitation of marginalized groups and the degradation of nature
DEMOGRAPHY
The study of human population change through birth, death, and migration
Population Composition
The makeup of a population in terms of its different social groups (e.g. ratio of men to women or old to young people)
CITIES
Built (“material”) environments that support large population densities
Deprives Natural Resources people of gemeinschaft— a sense of belonging and community (Tönnies)
Provides realm of possibilities for forging new kinds of social connections
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
All of the natural processes that humankind depends on
Natural Resources
Required for basic human needs (e.g. water, minerals, plants, petroleum)
Population Size
A large population puts more pressure on natural and built environments
Population Growth
- Affects how and where people live
- Countries with the fastest growing populations are the poorest and least developed
Overpopulation
- World’s population is rising exponentially
- Social equilibrium is maintained by population checks (Malthus)
Positive checks
Increase the death rate through war, famine, pestilence, disease, etc.
Preventative checks
Limit the number of births through abortion, contraception, delayed marriage, etc.
- Urban design and transportation networks support high population density
- Pressure on infrastructure and public services
As the global population grows, the world becomes more urban
Megacity
Urban centre with a concentrated population exceeding 5 million
Bedroom Suburb
Residential community that provides housing and services for people who commute to a nearby urban centre
NIMBY (“Not In My Backyard”)
Efforts to prevent certain kinds of facilities to be established in one’s community
- Pressure on land and resources
- New technologies and strategies alter the relationship between humans and the environment
- Growth ethic—celebrates the (imagined) ability of technology to solve all the world’s problems
- Separation of humans from the natural environment
- Depletion of non-renewable resources
Cornucopia View of Nature
Frames nature as a storehouse of resources that exists only for the use of humans
Limits to Growth
Within the next 100 years, world population will surpass acity, leading to system collapse (Meadows et al.)
Pollution and "Natural" Disasters
Disproportionately affect poor populations of developing countries
NAMES WORTH KNOWING
Thomas Malthus (1766–1834) argued that checks and limits on population growth are needed to protect human well-being.
Ernest Burgess (1886–1966) proposed concentric zone theory, which states that cities tend to develop in similar, predictable ways..
Françoise d’Eaubonne (1920–2005) was a French feminist who coined the term ecofeminism and supported greater rights for women and homosexuals.
Manuel Castells (b. 1942) is a leading theorist on urban planning and communication technology, including urban social movements and changing post-industrial urban life.
Ulrich Beck (b. 1944) argues that contemporary societies are dominated by human-made risks, including many produced by supposed advances in technology.
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