ABSTRACT
The new urban sociology involves important theoretical changes in the way human environments are analyzed. Until the development of the new urban sociology, the effects of special, powerful interests (such as transnational corporations) on the pattern of growth were ignored by the traditional approach that emphasized biological factors of species competition over territory. Traditional urban sociology or ecology, for example, overemphasizes the push factor of technology as an agent of change. This chapter considers the new theoretical ideas that have recently invigorated the urban field. It examines the development of metropolitan areas in the United States. The chapter also examines the role of culture in metropolitan life, addressing everyday life and social problems. It discusses the effects of global restructuring on cities in the developing world and settlement spaces in European countries and Japan.
