Human settlements can either be rural or urban based on the density of people living in a particular area. Urban areas are primarily towns and cities, while rural areas are predominantly villages and smaller towns. One of the main differences between urban and rural areas is the heterogeneous nature of urban areas. People from different backgrounds and different parts converge in most metropolitan areas in search of better opportunities. Rural areas, on the other hand, do not have such diversity in their population. Most people in rural areas are mainly from that specific locale.
Another key difference is the high concentration of highly educated people in urban areas compared to rural areas. This is because urban areas are full of amenities—social, economic, and otherwise—which allow people in these areas to be better educated. Additionally, most educated people from rural areas tend to migrate to urban areas hoping to get better opportunities in terms of employment.
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There are some prominent characteristics of an urban area discussed below.
Population
Population size in urban areas is higher and larger than in rural areas. Urban communities are densely populated, with an increased number of people living per square kilometer. Ironically, while city dwellers are physically crowded, social distance is high. Due to the heterogeneity and anonymity in these areas, people do not form close, lasting bonds. The occupational and economic differences widen the gap, meaning neighbors can live years without making acquaintances.
Heterogeneity
Urban areas are commonly heterogeneous. This means that the population is exceptionally diverse and has different classes, races, ethnicities, and religions. This heterogeneity also manifests in the employment opportunities available in almost all industries. This feature is unlike rural areas, which may present a dominant economic activity based on the region, such as agriculture or poultry farming.
Politics
Due to the exposure and diversity in cities and other urban areas, voting patterns show a progressive nature. Research shows that people are more inclined to vote democratically when it comes to politics. The people are more likely to base their decisions on democratic merit as compared to people in rural areas.
Work
Cities are characterized by diversity in industry and, in particular, high-skilled and knowledge-based industries. Economic mobility is also extremely high, and there is a high possibility that a person in urban areas will change their employment, usually in search of better-paying opportunities.
Segmentation of Personality
According to the urban theorist Georg Simme, urban social life is very impersonal and broadly segmented. Relationships lack intimacy and a general lack of kinship. As opposed to genuine affection and friendships, urban dwellers resort to formal politeness. This impersonal and lonely nature makes social life in these areas extremely temporary. This nature is also caused by the high social and geographical mobility rates, as people tend to change their employments more often in urban areas.
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- The Indian urban society is an example of a large diversity ethnically, linguistically, religious, and others. There is a common theme of societal hierarchy in Indian urban communities that has existed for years. Caste-like systems within families, religions, and classes dictate one's place in society. Another characteristic of Indian urban society is the social interdependence brought on by the caste system. Regardless of the urbanization, the Indian society remains closely grouped into families, clans, and other like-minded communities.
- The American urban society is a massive part of American life. It marks all the features of how an urban society is defined. Metropolitan areas, big rising cities such as New York, and the social distance that comes with such urban communities. The American society has been growing since the industrialization era when manufacturing and other non-agricultural activities started to take over the economy. Cities grew, as a result, diversifying the United States, and cities rose as a result.
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Urban areas are characterized by their heterogeneity. This means there is diversity in things like the number of different racial and ethnic groups in a city as well as the number of diverse cultural aspects you can find in a city. Compared to rural areas, cities also tend to have higher concentrations of highly educated people than rural areas. Due to the highly educated masses, cities are often home to many high-skilled industries. This characteristic offers greater diversity in the type of jobs available. Additionally, in general, cities tend to vote more progressive. Again, this often has to do with factors like density and education. Cities with higher density and higher levels of education tend to vote more democratically.
On the flip side, George Simmel, an early urban theorist who wrote about the impersonal nature of cities, commented on how urban places required people to develop a certain sensibility to cope with city life. As a result, people who live in cities tend to be lonelier compared to people who live in small, rural areas.
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Urban Society
More than half of the world's population lives in a city. By 2050 it's expected that nearly seventy percent of the world's population will live in a city. Rapid urbanization, or the process whereby a place becomes more urban, means that most of us will someday live in a city. What makes a city a city? This might seem like an obvious question but it's one that social scientists who study cities have spent a long time pondering. Cities are like complex organisms with particular features. Cities are dynamic, unique and diverse places. In this lesson, we'll talk about what exactly makes cities unique, including what distinguishes them from rural places.
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Urban versus Rural
One way to understand city life is to think about it in contrast to rural life. Let's start with some basics. First, what is a city? The U.S. Census defines a city as a place that has a minimum population of 2,500. But most likely, when you think of a city you probably think of a place like New York City or Paris.
Cities are much more populous than rural places. Cities also have more density, meaning that more people are concentrated in a particular place. Density is a measure of how many people are living, working, or passing through a particular area. Dhaka, Bangladesh is the densest urban area in the world, with about 118,000 people per square mile. As you might imagine, this is much denser than a rural area! Just for some context, Alaska is the least dense state in the United States, with about 1.3 people living per square mile.
Let's turn to some of the other ways that cities are distinct places.
Culture, Work, Politics
Cities aren't simply just places where more people live. There are a number of other important ways that cities are different from rural areas. For one thing, cities are more heterogenous than rural areas, meaning that they are more diverse in terms of the different racial and ethnic groups who live there, the cultures you might encounter, and the variety in things like food and style of dress. For example, if you've ever walked through the streets of New York City you've probably seen aspects of different cultures from all over the world. You could probably get almost any kind of food you wanted at any time of day or night, and there is a concentration of important cultural institutions like museums and theatres.
Urban areas are also more heterogenous in terms of the type of employment that is found within them. Cities have a higher concentration of many different kinds of industry than rural areas. Specifically, cities have a higher concentration of high-skilled and knowledge based work. There are more opportunities for high-skilled work in cities and often more opportunities for education. This also leads to greater social and economic mobility within cities compared to rural areas.
Another way that urban areas differ from rural areas is in voting patterns and politics. In general, urban areas in the United States tend to favor more progressive policies and politicians. Voters in cities generally vote for more left-leaning candidates than voters in rural areas. Even in generally conservative states, like Texas, the urban areas tend to vote more progressively than the rural areas. This has a lot to do with education levels and density. Research has shown that as density increases and levels of education increase, places tend to vote more progressively. Cities are both more dense and more highly educated than rural areas.
But some urban scholars have also written about ways that cities are not always progressive or filled with opportunities. Some of the earliest writings on cities focused on the ways in which they are impersonal and lonely. The heterogeneity that makes cities interesting and diverse can also make us feel distanced from one another. We are more anonymous in cities and we don't know each other as well. Georg Simmel argued famously that there was a particular quality to urban life. We are more impersonal and we develop coping mechanisms to deal with the cold and lonely nature of cities.
Lesson Summary
Cities are diverse, dynamic, and populous places where over half of the world's population currently lives. Rapid urbanization means that by 2050 close to seventy percent of people will live in cities across the globe.
The U.S. Census officially defines cities as areas with a population of 2,500 or more. Urban places are much denser than rural areas. Density is a measure of how many people are living in a particular area. But cities are different in more ways than this. Cities are highly heterogenous, meaning we find many different races, ethnic groups, and aspects from different cultures around the globe while we're in cities. Urban areas also have higher concentrations of high-skilled and knowledge based work. There are generally higher levels of education and increased opportunities for social and economic mobility compared to rural areas.
Voting patterns are also different in urban areas. In general, urban areas tend to favor more progressive politics and politicians. But some scholars have also argued that urban places might make us feel more isolated and disconnected. Urban areas can be cold and impersonal.
Cities are vibrant, dynamic places. Next time you're walking down the streets of a city remember how unique this space is.
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