Chapter Seven Living in the American City ：

Variation in Urban and Suburban Ways of Life Contents §I. Suburbanization and Suburban Lifeways §II. Social Class and Life-Style §III. Ethnic Group and Life-Styles §IV. Summary

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Suburbanizationand Suburban Lifeways

I. Suburbanization and Suburban Lifeways§(1) Suburbs and suburbanization§(2) The causes and consequences of suburban growth§(3) Suburban residence and life way   (1) Suburbs and suburbanization§Suburbs are areas with urban character located outside a central city but within the region of dominance.

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§Typically, in the United States, suburbs have been views as socially and demographically homogeneous settlements comprised mainly of single-family, white and middle-class dwellings.§Once viewed as inferior, but highly desired area of modern cities. §Suburbs began to expand in the late 19th century and exploded after WWII. Industrial and commercial activities soon followed population outward.

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§SUBURBANIZATION describes the general trend of city dwellers to move from the city into residential areas in ever-growing concentric circles away from the city's core. §Suburbanization started to catch on in late 19th century§Mass suburbanization 1950 to present§Two types of Suburbanization:ØSuburbanization of ResidenceØSuburbanization of Business

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§Three functional types of suburbs:ØResidential suburbs to supply workers to the rest of the metropolitan areaØEmploying suburbs employment centers within metropolitan areasØIntermediate suburbs lie between residential suburbs and employment suburbs and act as both residential areas and employment centers. -Leo F. Schnore (1963) 

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(2) The causes and consequences of suburban growth§The causes of suburban growth§P.O.E.T. Factors: Population; Organization; Environment; Technology§The Explanation in the Text (P112-123) a. Environmental factors b. Organization of employment c. Social perceptions for living quality and social status   

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§The Concrete Reasons of Suburban GrowthØTransportation TechnologiesØHousing conditionØLand Shortage in center of metroØDecline of Inner City ServicesØGovernment Policies-FHA and VA loans, more houses possibleØCost of Living--initially was less expensive to live in suburbsØPost WW II ProsperityØPost WW II Marriage and Baby BoomØPeople’s Preference for Space 

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§Factors Contributing to Business Suburbanization

ØCommunications technologyØRelatively cheap and available land (initially)ØLower taxes (initially)ØMany of the same forces that influence residential suburbanization §The consequences of suburban growthØEven distribution of population and industryØMassive problems in the old central citiesØUrban renewalØResidential segregation 

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§The stages of urban development:ØA. UrbanizationØB. SuburbanizationØC. Counter-urbanizationØD. Re-urbanization (3) Suburban residence and life way§Suburbanites are seen as “normal families” living in neat single-family houses.§Suburbanites manifest certain significant differences from their urban counterparts.§Life-style; tendency; incomes; attitudes et al 

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Urban/Suburban Differences§  =================================================================§  Variable Suburban Areas Central Cities§  =================================================================§  Place of work Work outside of a city Work in a city

§  Income Higher income and

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Lower income and less increase more increase§  Martial status More married persons Fewer married persons§  Race Lower percentage nonwhite Higher percentage nonwhite§  Household head More male headed Predominantly male headed

but more single and female heads§  Children Higher birth rates Lower birth rates

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§  Consumption patterns Children centered Conspicuous consumption§  Organization or More involved More anonymous community involve§  Education More college educated Bi-modal distribution of college educated and high school dropout§  ================================================================== TextbookP155 

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Urban/Suburban Satisfaction/participation Degree§  ======================================================§  Variable suburban Areas versus Central Cities§  ======================================================§  Community Setting generally more positive than are central city residents §  (Social Environment)§  Dwelling Locale more percent satisfaction than are central city residents

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§  Police Protection more satisfied than are central city residents§  Public School more satisfied than are central city residents§  Public Transportation less satisfied than are central city residents§  Health Care Facilities less satisfied than are central city residents§  ====================================================== Textbook P152 Figure 7-2 

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§There is no single suburban life-style.§The suburbs are increasingly heterogeneous. The is great diversity in the specific life-styles dominant in individual suburbs.§Characteristics of Working-Class Suburbanites§Case Study ： Levittown, Philadelphia§Bennett Berger(1972): The Myth of Suburbia II.Social Class and Life-Style 

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II. Social Class and Life-Style(1) What are Social Class and Life-Style;(2) Dimensions of Social Class;(3) The Major Social Classes in US;(4) The Difference in Life-Style Class Makes (1) What are Social Class and Life-Style?§Social class can be defined as a large group of people who rank close to each other in wealth, power, and prestige.§Life-style refers to the manner in which an individual or group lives.

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§The main life-style variations are based on social-class differences. (2) Dimensions of Social Class§ Income consists of wages or salaries from work and earnings from investments.§ Wealth consists of the total amount of money and other assets, minus outstanding debts. It is distributed even less equally than income.§ Power is also unequally distributed.§ Occupational prestige. Occupation serves as a key source of social prestige since we commonly evaluate each other according to what we do.

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§ Education Background. Schooling affects both occupation and income. (3) The Major Social Classes in US§A. The upper class a. The upper-upper class b. The lower-upper class§B. The middle class includes 40 to 45 percent of the U.S population. a. The upper-middle class. b. The average-middle class

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§ C. The working class make up one-third of the population§ D. The lower class make up 20 percent of the population §Three groupings in the Text(P160):ØWorking Class (“blue collar”)ØMiddle Class (“white collar”)ØUpper Class (the elites)(C. Wright MillsAugust 28, 1916– March 20, 1962) 

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(4) The Difference in Life-Style Class Makes§Health§Richer people live, on average, seven years longer because they eat more nutritious food, live in safer and less stressful environments, and receive better medical care.§Social class affects our health, with lower classes having more sickness and higher death rates. This pattern is influenced by the unequal access to medical care.Mental health is also affected by social class.

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§Family§Children of the capitalist class are under great pressure to select the right mate in order to assure the continuity of the family line. Parents in this social class play a large role in mate selection.§Marriages are more likely to fail in the lower social classes; the children of the poor thus are more likely to live in single-parent households.§Most lower-class families are somewhat larger than middle-class families.

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§Working-class parents encourage conventional norms and respect to authorities; whereas parents of higher social standing transmit a different “cultural capital” to their children, stressing individuality and imagination. §Values§Affluent people with greater education and financial security are more tolerant of controversial behavior, while working-class people tend to be less tolerant. 

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§Politics§People in lower classes are more likely to vote Democrat, and those in higher classes to vote Republican; parties are seen as promoting different class interests.§For example, city residents tend to be Democrats while suburban dwellers have a higher proportion of Republicans.§People in higher classes are more likely to be conservative on economic issues (lower taxes, etc..) and more liberal on social issues (individual rights, etc.).

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Higher-income people are more likely to vote and join political organizations than people in the lower class. §Religion§Religious orientation follow class lines.§Classes tend to cluster in different denominations; and patterns of worship also follow class lines. III.Ethnic Group and Life-Styles 

I.III. Ethnic Group and Life-Styles§(1)What is Ethnic Group?§(2)Ethnic Life-Styles 

(1)What is Ethnic Group?§An ethnic group consists of those people who share a unique cultural and social heritage that they pass from generation to generation.§Any given American city may be the home of dozens of ethnic groups.§Poles, Italians, Russians, Cubans, Jews, Mexicans, Greeks, Serbs, Rumanians, Puerto Ricans, and many others. 

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(2)Ethnic Life-Styles§Life-style diffrentiation is the result of variations in ethnic greoup experiences.§Ethnic life-styles vary greatly within and between groups.§Italians, Blacks, Spanish-surnamed, Chinese, Native American.§In general, American ethnic groups are more familistic and traditional than Anglo-Americans. § The Polish peasant in Europe and America§ William I. Thomas and Florian Znaniecki§ A Classic Work in Immigration History 

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IV. Summary§The are different life-styles in American urban areas.§There is no one truly American life-style.§The ways in which people organize their lives differ by cultural heritage and position within the community system.