Assignment: Urban Sociology
Please write each question and its answer. There should be a total of ten pages minimum. Each answer has an 5 point value, checklists 6 points, and reference(s). The answers should be written in your own words. The use of quotes is not encouraged, but if used, remember to include the full reference (author's last name, year of publication and page number) if you decide to use a quote from the text or other sources. Ask someone to read and edit the exam before handing it in, to improve your writing skills.
1- From the textbook: Urban Theory and the Urban Experience: Encountering the City by Simon Parker, Chapter 2: The Foundations of Urban Theory: Weber, Simmel, Benjamin and Lefebvre answer the following questions:
a) How Weber defines the city based on commerce and trade and what is his most important argument regarding civic participation and the city
b) Simmel's notion of time-space compression is an important analysis to the way urbanites live. Define and describe time-space compression.
c) The amount of stimuli urbanites are exposed to, generate what Simmel called "the blasse attitude." Describe and discuss "the blasse" attitude.
d) According to the following quote from Benjamin:
"The city is the realization of that ancient dream of humanity, the labyrinth. It is this reality to which the flaneur, without knowing it devotes himself." (p.18) Describe the notion of the flaneur.
e) According to Lefebvre the city as a location "where use value and exchange value meet and are combined in a formal system or as relations of production." Explain how the city, space and capitalism is understood by Lefebvre.
2- There have been many imaginings about the proper or ideal function of urban form. Usually alluded to as ‘utopias' define the Garden City Movement and new Urbanism (Chapter 4). Provide a critical analysis of these urban movements by describing the advantages and disadvantages of each.
3- Choose one of the following concepts, define and critically analyze:
a) commodification of urban space
b) gender and the city
c) sustainability and the urban future, or
d) choose one urban topic or concept.
4- Reference.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.