Ethnic villagers: Gans described the ethnic villagers as ethnic groups which are found in certain neighbourhoods such as the lower east side. Their way of life differs sharply from Wirth’s urbanism in its emphasis on kinship and the primary group, the lack of anonymity and secondary group contacts and the weakness of formal organizations.

Gans pointed out that the first two types live in the inner city by choice and the third lives there partly because of necessity and partly because of tradition. The final two types are in the inner city because they have no other choice.

The deprived: the population consisting of poor and non-white population belongs to the deprived category. These urban dwellers must take the dilapidated building and blighted neighbourhoods to which the housing market relegates them. Sometimes such places are also a stopover to a better place.