The World of Cities: Places in Comparative and Historical Perspective

ISBN-13: 9780631210269 / Angielski / Miękka / 2003 / 192 str.

Anthony M. Orum; Xiangming Chen

Opis

The World of Cities is a concise theoretical and empirical introduction to urban sociology. In clear and engaging terms, the book surveys and critiques all the major theoretical perspectives in urban studies.

• Provides a concise introduction to urban sociology.
  
• Uses clear and engaging terms.
  
• Surveys the main theoretical models of urban studies.
  
• Includes empirical data on contemporary cities and neighborhoods, and the impact of the world economy on city life.
  
• Features a discussion of the current reconstructive efforts of educational, political, and business leaders to improve cities and maintain their civic culture.

Recenzje

The World of Cities is an intellectually strong and up–to–date synthesis, one that should prove useful to both students and sophisticated analysts alike. Harvey Molotch, University of California at Santa Barbara and New York University

For the first time in recent US scholarship, Orum and Chen provide a deep and extended analysis of the importance of place in city development. Human beings value places as sacred sites with deep memories and legendary attachments, to be revisited even when catastrophes make this foolhardy. Dissatisfied with undemocratic development today, Orum and Chen provide a sage set of pro–active measures for creating much better urban places fostering human life and family. Joe Feagin, University of Florida

Spis treści

List of Illustrations.

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

List of Figures.

1. Cities and Places.

2. Social Theory and the City.

3. Social Inequalities and the Creation of Metropolitan Space.

4. Place Change and Continuity: The City in Comparative and Global Contexts.

5. From A Critical to A Reconstructive Sociology of Cities.

Glossary.

Index.

O autorze

Anthony M. Orum is Professor of Sociology and Political Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is the author of City–Building in America (1995) and Introduction to Political Sociology (fourth edition, 2000), co–editor of The Case for the Case Study (with Joe Feagin and Gideon Sjoberg, 1991) and co–author of Changing Societies (with John Johnstone and Stephanie Riger, 1999).

Xiangming Chen is Associate Professor of Sociology at University of Illinois at Chicago and Research Fellow with the IC2 Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. He is interested in the comparative study of cities in the global context, with a primary focus on China and East Asia. He has published numerous articles on urban studies and is the author of the forthcoming As Borders Crumble (2004) and the principal editor of the forthcoming Global Aspirations, Local Actions (2004).

Blurb

The World of Cities is a concise theoretical and empirical introduction to urban sociology. In clear and engaging terms, the book surveys and critiques all the major theoretical perspectives in urban studies. It examines the meanings of place and space, and applies these concepts to contemporary cities, communities, and neighborhoods. It then reviews the history of city–building in the United States from the late 18th century to the present time. Next it examines the impact of global economic and cultural forces on contemporary local places and city life in a comparative context, with illustrative examples and evidence from the United States and China. The final section discusses the current efforts of metropolitan leaders to improve cities and maintain the civic culture of a community.

For the student of urban sociology and urban studies in general, this textbook is an ideal overview and synthesis of a fascinating and ever–changing field.