William Little (Introduction to Sociology - 1st Canadian Edition) defines urbanization as the study of the social, political and economic relationship in cities. One of those urbanization sociologists to have put in a lot of effort to study urbanization was a Professor of city planning called Lewis Munford. He was also an “architectural critic, urban planner, and historian who analyzed the effects of technology and urbanization on human societies throughout history” (Encyclopedia Britanica). His profile can justify the sociological, historical and economically rich articulations in his publication on “The Natural History of Urbanization” (Lewis Munford, 1956) in which he examines all aspects of city morphology and functions from …show more content…
While the cities enjoy large paved roads with tertiary economy, the villages are still wallowing with lack of farm to market roads.
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective.
From an symbolic interactionist perspective, Lewis reveals how from the evolution of pre-neolithic habitats through villages, to cities and conurbations, there has been a continuous loosening of the bonds that connect its habitants with nature with a transformation or complete elimination of cultures, and replacing with new systems. Agriculture and the city are no longer in perfect symbiotic relationship. The city now survives from intensive farming that uses artificial farm inputs instead of the ancient nitrogenous human and organic waste.
Urbanization puts man in conflict with self as the demands of cities life produce adverse effects ranging from decaying cultures to environmental problems such as pollution. Industrialization affects the environment negatively through pollution in all its forms “The extension of the industrial conurbation not merely brings with it the obliteration of the life-sustaining natural environment but actually creates, as substitute, a definitely antiorganic environment.” (Lewis Munford, …show more content…
Technology helped in the improvements in plant cultivation and stock-breeding. With the coming of industrialization man’s source of energy improved from cereal food to coal seams and electricity supply. Electricity supply has also fueled information technology development, whose role in the advancement of city economies cannot be overemphasized. The changes from papyrus to paper, then to cell phones are all landmarks of