Cities and towns; Social psychology; Sociology; Sociology, Urban
Almost every modern city has several histories of its recent
development, and the current magazines contain a great deal of general
information about particular cities. The list of typical works on the
modern city might be extended indefinitely, but the numerous
bibliographies already available make this task unnecessary. There are
published bibliographies of some of the more important European and
American cities. Books on London, for instance, are so numerous that
there exists in the city of London a library devoted exclusively to
works on that city. A similar volume of literature is available about
Paris, Rome, and other centers of culture around which there has grown
up an historical tradition which gives to the locality a world-wide
human interest. There are a number of books on such cities as Moscow,
the city of churches, which emphasize the fact that this metropolis has
occupied a position of dominance in Russian life because of its
spiritual leadership, which expresses itself institutionally in its
magnificent cathedrals. There are other Meccas of this sort, the
literature on which would occupy many pages.
The inclusion of such books as Augustus Hare’s _Paris_ and von Ende’s
_New York_ in this list might well raise the question as to why these
two rather unimportant works were included and others of a similar
nature excluded. Their pertinence in this connection was thought to lie
in the fact that they are typical of books on many cities which are
intended as guides to tourists or represent accounts of travelers, which
are not included in this bibliography, but which might prove of interest
to the student dealing with the individualities and eccentricities of
individual cities.
There has grown up in recent years a renewed interest in the variety and
diversity of American cities. Many such books have appeared, often in
series including several cities, which give more than a traveler’s
account, and actually succeed in entering into the spirit of the city.
Grace King’s volume on New Orleans is perhaps the best, if not the most
representative, of these American volumes.
III. TYPES OF CITIES
Each city, like every other object in nature, is, in a sense, unique. A
scientific study of the city presupposes, however, that a study of a
number of cities will reveal certain classes or types, the members of
which have certain common characteristics which mark them off from other
types. There are, obviously, many criteria, on the basis of any one of
which cities might be classified and distinguished from each other.
Certain fundamental types appear in the literature of the subject of
which the sociologist may profitably take note.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account