URBANIZATION AND URBANISM
Urbanization does not imply urbanism. Urbanization refers to the growth of urban population, in relation to rural population, but urbanism refers to the presence of a distinction culture in urban areas. The term urbanism was coined by Louis Wirth (2009) to refer to ways of life in cities. Wirth published a classic essay on this theme “ Urbanism as a Way of Life” , in the American Journal of Sociology in 1938. In this essay he focused on city life, minority group behaviour and mass media. His research was concerned with how Jewish immigrants adjusted to life in urban America, as well as the distinct social processes of city life. He applied the concepts and theories of sociology to the study of city life. For those who have followed Wirth's ideas, the way of life of urban areas has been a more important subject of study than urbanization. Looked at from this perspective, a country may have a high degree of urbanization, but in terms of culture, its urban areas may not be very different from the rural areas. Alternatively, urbanism need to be defined varyingly in the context of different countries. Since the history and processes of the growth of cities in the developing countries are markedly different from those of the developed countries, it is natural that the urban areas in the two world regions acquire different characters, or different styles of urbanism.
In general, however, in studies of population processes a distinction is made between urban and rural areas. All social and demographic characteristics of population vary according to urban-rural residence variable. Urban areas are normally marked by:
Higher literacy, educational achievements and vocational education
Higher standard of living, higher aspirations and more amenities and services
Higher age of marriage
Lower ideal family size, greater use of family planning methods and lower fertility
Better health infrastructure leading to lower mortality and fertility rates
Higher autonomy and empowerment of women
Lower impact of religiosity and supernatural beliefs
Greater impact of globalization, individualization and secularization
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