Both of the readings discussed immigration and urbanization of city life. By analyzing the research conducted and results found by sociologists from Theoretical Perspectives on the City we are able to better understand how urban society functions. I agree with Tonnes that rural communities are more closer and more interdependent since every individual’s job contributed to the community. However, even though urban cities are more independent in a way we still depend on each other in order for society to function properly. The black corona reading gave an insight on race and equality and how it is related to power. In adiittion, that reading related poverty to crime in the “black ghetto.” Their reasoning for acting out is to be heard, does that justify crime? This article made me wonder if we will ever be truly equal? Because even today we are still separated by class and the economy. Are we really equal and free or obliviously ruled by the government. I also found the map within that reading useful in visualizing the location. Overall, what actually makes us a community, our similarities or the way we influence each other and function as one society?

During my first year at Brooklyn College, I lived in the off campus dormitories located in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Coming from a very homogeneous neighborhood in Staten Island, one could say I experienced a bit of culture shock. I had been immersed in an inner-city area just like the ones described in Black Corona. I was completely immersed in “ghetto culture” for the very first time. Before moving to the area I had always thought about African American communities in a very binary way: some were assimilated into main stream culture and others were a part of ghetto culture. I never stopped to think about the fact that ghetto culture might have arisen from political and socioeconomic status. After a few months of living in Flatbush, I began to realize that maybe my neghbors acted the way they did because of their financial situation. It was interesting to see the parallels that I could draw between Flatbush and the neighborhoods that were being described in Black Corona. Both myself and Jacob Govan can give similar causes for ghetto culture just by living in an inner-city area (he much more than myself). This shows that ghetto culture is not a product of its people, but of their circumstance.

Question: Would inner-city areas improve if ghetto culture were renounced completely, or would it be detrimental to eradicate an entre culture without keeping some of its positive aspects?

“Cities, Change and Conflict: A Political Economy of Urban Life” is an appropriate, yet dull, introduction to the paradigms of urban ecology and urban political economy. The work, which summarizes the work of several famous twentieth century philosophers, comes off as rushed and patronizing.  The piece reads like a textbook, with very information-dense paragraphs. As such, the work did not hold my attention very well throughout.As a reader, I would have appreciated more of the author’s commentary and analysis scattered throughout.

Opening “Black Corona: Race and the Politics of Place in an Urban Community” with the story of a long-time Corona resident gave me the impression that the piece was based on ethnographic fieldwork. Reading further, the text gives way to straightforward arguments (I, personally, agree with) supported by valid and credible sources. The material was not lacking any supplementary information. However, having only limited access to the work, I am unable to appreciate the extent of Gregory’s research, which is elaborated on in later chapters.

Question: Which model, Hoyt’s sector model, Burgess’s concentric zone model or Harris and Ullman’s multiple nuclei model, best fits New York City?

Theoretical Perspectives on the City begins by explaining how researchers have different techniques when analyzing urban society. They need to formulate appropriate questions to study and also consider how urban areas are affected both socially and economically. The way cities develop can depend on numerous factors such as income levels, the forms of infrastructure that are present, and also whether there are interactions between communities. I do wish this article went more in depth with the studies of social area analysis and how studying the population characteristics can help one to better understand the neighborhoods in cities. Various sociologists debated on the transition from rural to urban life and its effects. For example, Ferdinand Tönnies believed that urbanization caused there to be more independent individuals “acting for their own self-interest” as opposed to rural life and its close communities. I disagree with his idea that urban life can adversely affect society and with his statement that cities are “impersonal.” One can still find many close communities in each neighborhood. People of different backgrounds can introduce their own cultural ideas and beliefs that can benefit society and help it expand.

Question: Do you agree with Tönnies and his idea that urban life can create “impersonal cities” that can negatively impact society while rural areas have more tight-knit communities?

I must admit that my expertise in the subject isn’t significant enough to debate the specifics described in the article. I must also admit, however, that I have taken a few history courses and they seem to coincide with what was discussed in “Theoretical Perspectives on the city”. What I truly enjoyed about the article was the history behind the compilation of knowledge that all became known as the “political economy paradigm”. One of the things I love about science is that there’s always room for new possibilities, and this article made me think of this “paradigm” as a concept being explored through the sciences. When these “scientists”/researchers ran out of questions to explore within the original paradigm they had developed with the help of The Chicago School, they were willing explore new horizons through the “political economy paradigm”. I agree when the author explained that new paradigms had to be created because, for example, what shapes society isn’t just competition for land or “natural laws”, in other words, things aren’t that simple. Which is why it was super interesting to see how the combination of paradigms created a more promising and stable field of study. Also, throughout the article, I constantly saw innovative ideas that helped explain many things around us.

Question: Which “belief” do you identify with the most? What’s one fact/idea that struck you the most while reading?

The reading was a quick overview and summary into sociology and the urban life. In Cities, Change, and Conflict: A Political Economy of Urban Life, the study of sociology begins with the start of urbanization and industrialization. While at the beginning most theories were based off of personal experience, it wasn’t until the Chicago School that sociological theories were put to test. There was some trouble understanding the theories, since most of the theories were not put into practice and were vague. However, if there were a way to relate the theories using case studies that would have made the reading more straightforward and beneficial. Also most of the studies listed are understated, and could be related to other studies. For instance when mentioning community ethnography, the article could have mentioned the culture of poverty when including how previous studies had tended to see life in poor areas as disorganized.

Question: How much would Ernest W. Burgess theory of urban ecology, the neoclassical school of economics, relate to New York City today?

In “Theoretical Perspectives on the City”, the author points out that any topic research can be answered in a number of different ways. He then goes on to pose the question “Are societies and social institutions orderly systems composed of interdependent parts?” to show that there is no clear right or wrong answer as either perspective can be taken. I thought about this questions and although I am not a researcher, I sided with those who believed the answer to be “no”. Society and social institutions, I believe, are controlled by those in power and as such are often grounds for power struggles. In some societies, these power struggles present themselves as rebellions and civil war, whereas in other societies they are more structured through political elections. In order to explain societies, particularly modern urban societies, theories were proposed as to how they function. One theory that was particularly interesting was that of Ferdinand Tonnies. After reading his views on rural vs. urban life, I wondered why he felt that modernization was such a threatening and self-promoting process? It could be because of the unfortunate consequences like hazardous working conditions.

In the first reading, every theory, in its most basic concept, attempts to connect the effects of economic changes and it’s effect on urban and suburban populations. No theory can then ever be more correct then another because the economy and the population is constantly changing. Every theory is a product of its time and place. The reading from Black Corona is extremely relevant to today. We often approach this discussion with the words “cycle of poverty”, but instead of taking responsibility for such destructive cycles, we blame the residents for crime and joblessness. We see this problem perpetuated by the media as well. In all the movies released in the past ten years, those dealing with the “black experience” have often been on the topic of slavery, civil rights, or life in a black ghetto.

I have often wondered how a city can grow without necessarily introducing gentrification. It has negative consequences, but is it not a necessary evil for the sake of successful cities? Since we have been aware of the problems with American ghettos and the cycle of poverty for ages, why have we seen no major efforts to break the cycle?