ABSTRACT
Published in 1938, Wirth’s essay on urbanism, and the factors of size, density, and heterogeneity, is one of the foundational statements of the Chicago School of urban sociology. It is clearly influenced by Ferdinand Tönnies, Georg Simmel, and Robert E. Park. Like Tönnies, he views the theory of urbanism as an ideal type. Wirth’s concept of the “schizoid” urban personality, beset by “segmental roles,” is akin to Simmel’s blasé and reserved metropolitan man. Simmel felt, however, that the cosmopolitanism of city life liberated urbanites from the prejudices and provincialities of rural life. Wirth was less impressed by the positive benefits of this emancipation from primary group controls. He drew our attention to the growth of Durkheimian anomie, which consequently engendered a host of modern social problems, including crime, deviance, and various kinds of mental illness that were seen to proliferate in the city. Wirth also informed our understanding of Robert Park’s concept of the city as a “mosaic of social worlds” that increases social distance between people. He viewed this as an outcome of urban density and specialization. He was more sensitive to the practical implications of a theory of urbanism than Tönnies or Simmel, as he suggested that knowledge of the causes of urban social problems were important to apply to a range of social policy and urban planning practices.
