Miasto według socjologii. Wybrane tematy
A City from the Sociological Perspective: Selected Issues

Author(s): Andrzej Majer
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Economy, Sociology, Rural and urban sociology, Socio-Economic Research
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
Keywords: City; pre-modern cities; industrial and modern cities; postmodern cities; urbanization; social space; postmodern communities; city's dynamism; urban spirit
Summary/Abstract: The book A City from the Sociological Perspective: Selected Issues is a collection of sociological essays connecting two perspectives of seeing cities: the evolution of material space from the first settlements to contemporary metropolises and the changes in social space, which is the field of activity of many generations. The combination of these perspectives has allowed for a more complete description of the factors shaping cities in the past and still developing them. The book opens with an explanation of how cities can be analyzed, whereas the two chapters immediately following deals with the history of cities from the old towns to modern conurbations as well as with the variants of urbanization. The next chapter discusses the main features of modern cities. Later in his work, the author focuses on communities and their contemporary forms. The last two sections are devoted to the reflection of cities in the social consciousness, to their dynamics and spirit. There are references to general history, the history of city construction and demography, cultural anthropology and economic theories throughout the book. The main perspective is the sociological approach to cities, which for centuries have imprinted themselves on people's mentality, modified their lifestyles and dictated various forms of activity. This approach assumes that not buildings, but people, their social life and culture are the most important aspects of cities. Urban issues have always been important for many reasons, and today they are also worth discussing due to new phenomena and problems. Already by 2008, for the first time in history, the number of city dwellers had exceeded 50% of the world's population. The big cities acquire 1 million new inhabitants every week; by 2050, it is predicted, they will have accounted for more than two thirds of the planet's population. This volume is the outcome of a study of Polish and foreign, almost exclusively English-language literature, as well as many thoughts and many years of experience in the university didactics of urban sociology. The author believes that most of the destructive phenomena attributed to cities, which have been noticed for a long time, can be repaired or even removed provided that appropriate renewal strategies are implemented. He also expects the readers to agree with his outlook, and hopes that the book will encourage people to take an independent stance on particular issues. This publication may be of interest to students of faculties related in various ways to urban topics and to professionals whose work consists in solving everyday urban problems.

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