Urbanization, or the growth and increasing prominence of cities in the international sphere, has been a continuous process throughout the recent decades. With the development of industry and technology, the world is becoming more interconnected than ever, with cities working as central hubs for business and leisure. With the development of many global firms, cities become points where wealth aggregates, and the new emerging business opportunities gather (Rosling, 2010). Therefore, more people come to life in the city, in order to be able to take advantage of the many opportunities it offers. While not all people are able to afford city life, the existence of suburbs offers increased opportunity for those who need it.
Rise and Fall of Cities
The rise in population and economic opportunities have caused certain people to move into cities. However, the recently emerging global problems, wage stagnation and pricing also forced some city-dwellers to move to the suburbs, which are more affordable (Griffiths et al., 2017). Generally, wealthy individuals or large business owners are more capable of living in urban areas, while families and people with lower income live in the suburbs. Historically, this means an over-representation of people of color or other marginalized groups in suburban neighborhoods (Argeros, 2019). An increase in population and wage stagnation contributes to wealth inequality and an increased inability to afford housing. Therefore, more and more people move into the suburbs. In this move, the initial populations of suburban areas can become priced out of their living conditions, or find it increasingly unable to find sustainable housing in a market dominated by people of higher income levels (Markley, 2017). Similarly, level of investment into cities is unequal in focus, and the shifting focus away from the industrial sector puts a heavy toll on people in the lower income brackets.
A Naturalistic Outlook
With the prominence the city model has gained in people’s lives, it has become possible to discuss cities as types of natural environment, ones possessing their own traits and exerting certain influence over people. In the modern age, a growing population means that the urbanization process will develop even quicker than in the past, affecting the natural world and the balance of resources as well (“What is urban ecology?”, n.d.). It is crucial for humans to understand their life as intimately connected with nature in order to be capable of protecting it in the face of growing population numbers.
My Own Experiences
Personally, I was raised in a suburban area with low-to-middle income, with earlier generations of my family coming in from the countryside. Presently, I live in a more affordable part of the city, because housing costs were difficult to handle. I think people have stereotyped thoughts about those living in urban/suburban/rural areas, most of which have ties to income. Residents of suburban or rural areas, in my experience, were more often described as potentially violent or criminal, for example.
References
Argeros, G. (2019). As immigrants and people of color move to the suburbs, life there isn’t as promising as it once was. Urban Transportation and Housing News. Web.
Griffiths, H., Keirns, N. J., Strayer, E., Cody-Rydzewski, S., Scaramuzzo, G., Sadler, T., Vyain, S., Bry, J. D., Jones, F., & College, O. (2017). Introduction to sociology 2e. Openstax College, Rice University.
Markley, S. (2017). Suburban gentrification? Examining the geographies of new urbanism in Atlanta’s inner suburbs. Urban Geography, 39(4), 606-630. Web.
Rosling, H. (2010). Global population growth, box by box. TED: Ideas Worth Spreading. Web.
What is urban ecology?: Indiana University southeast. (n.d.). IU Southeast: Indiana University Southeast. Web.