INTRODUCTION TO

URBAN SOCIOLOGY
 COURSE OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES

Course Outcomes Cognitive Levels

C401 - 25.1 Understand the concepts and theories of Understanding (C2)
urban sociology
C401 – 25.2 Apply and analytical framework to Applying (C3)
understand the structural characteristics of
cities students are residing in
C401 – 25.3 Analyze the role of agencies and actors in Analysing (C4)
shaping the process of urbanization
C401 – 25.4 Evaluate importance of good governance and Evaluating (C5)
urban planning
 COURSE OUTLINE

Module no. Module Title Module Description No. of Lectures

1. Introduction to Basic Concepts and terminologies of the urban 2
Urban Sociology sociology; origin of urban societies; Rural-Urban
Continuum
2. Theories of Urban The classical theories – Simmel, Weber, Tonnies, 5
Sociology Louis Wirth, Durkheim & Engels; Ecological
Theories – Chicago School, Concentric Zone theory,
Sector theory, Multiple Nuclei theory
3. Contemporary Industrialisation, Colonialism, Class-Conflict 5
Urban Processes theories (Marxism), Neo-liberalism
4. Urbanisation in Development of urban sociology in India, Evolution 4
India of urban structures, Spatial Structures and
Classification of cities
 COURSE OUTLINE

Module Module Title Module Description No. of Lectures

no.
5. Urban Planning Concept & Principles of urban planning, Urban 7
planning in India, Strategies and techniques of urban
planning
6. Urban Governance Concept of Urban governance, Urban Governance in 4
India, Urban decentralization
7. Urban Issues in Urban Poverty, Informality & Exclusion, Urban 4
India Environment, Lessons from Pandemic
8. Technology and Smart cities, Case studies of smart cities and use of 5
urbanisation digital technologies in urban
9. Sustainable urban Sustainable urban development – concept, need, tenets 4
Development and strategies, Sustainable development goals (SDGs)
10. Global perspectives Neo-liberalism and Globalization, Emergence of 5
on urban megacities
 CREDIT STRUCTURE AND
EVALUATION CRITERIA

• Credits – 03 (3-0-0)
• Evaluation Criteria
• T1 – 20
• T2 – 20/ project
• End Semester Examination - 35
• TA – 25 (assignment +
Quiz)
• Total - 100
 RECOMMENDED READINGS

• Gottdiener, M. (2005). Key Concepts in Urban Studies (Mark Gottdiener & Leslie
Budd, Eds.). Sage Publications.
• Rao, M. S. A., ed. (1974). Urban sociology in India: Reader and source book. New
Delhi: Orient Blackswan.
• Lin, J., & Mele, C. (Eds.). (2012). The Urban Sociology Reader (2nd ed.). Routledge.
• Sivaramakrishnan, Kundu, & Singh (2005). Handbook of urbanization in India.
• Wirth, L. (1938). Urbanism as a Way of Life. American Journal of Sociology, 44(1), 1–
24.
• Sharma, A.K. and Misra, B.D. Urbanization in India: Issues & Challenges. New Delhi:
Ane Books Pvt. Ltd. (2018)
 WHAT IS URBAN SOCIOLOGY?

Urban sociology is the sociological study of urban life and cities. It is a systematic study of cities
and various processes (human and non-human) that influences/impacts urban landscape. It also
include understanding of the contemporary urban issues and challenges that shape the experience
of city life significantly.

It is a sub-discipline of sociology which is mainly concerned with studying how cities evolve and
transform over a period of time, multiple of dimensions of this change (physical, cultural,
economic and environment) and implications of this change on urban populations.

It deals with city life, specialization of the study of complex human situations, deals with city
organization and disorganization, cultural changes, overall development of civilization, economic
development, political and social changes.
 SCOPE OF URBAN SOCIOLOGY

Social & Cultural Economic Environmental Physical Political

• Interrelationships • Finances • Urban • Urban growth • Urban institutions
• Cultural patterns • Taxes environment and • Population/density • Urban
• Social ties and • Revenues its interaction with patterns administration
cohesions • Income generation humans • Urban
• Social hierarchies infrastructure
• Urban modes of • Planning and
living management of
land
 URBAN SOCIOLOGY –
INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS

Anthropology

Environmental Public
Studies Administration

Planning Urban
Geography
Studies Sociology

Engineering Economics

Architecture
 BEFORE WE GO FURTHER….

How are engineering and urban sociology connected?

Why is it important for you as engineers to study cities and

urban society?
 URBAN SOCIOLOGY AND
ENGINEERING

• Energy Efficient systems

• Smart Technologies
• Sustainable transport networks
• Efficient waste management systems
• Digital city networks
• Data driven technologies for efficient city
planning
 EMERGENCE OF URBAN SOCIOLOGY

• Origin of cities
• Industrialisation and resulting social transformations in Europe and England
during 17th and 18th century
• Fast paced urbanisation
• Breaking down of rural patterns of life
• Stark distinctiveness between rural and urban life
 ORIGIN OF URBAN SOCIETIES

 Lewis Mumford, an american historian and sociologist

known for his contribution to study of cities discusses the
origins of cities in his book - The City in History: Its
Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects (1961).
According to him,
 Cities originated when primitive communities of hunters,
peasants, and shepherds were joined by more specialised
groups such as miners, boatmen, fishermen, and sailors who
brought their skills and ways of life to the community.
 This new urban mix resulted in expanding human capacities
in all directions, including command over long-distance
transportation, development of large-scale civil engineering,
and increased agricultural productivity
 ORIGIN OF URBAN SOCIETIES

 Cities were built on the common collective conscience and the primary aim
was to live together, collect common resources and protect each other.
 He defined the city as a structure which was specially equipped for storing
and transmitting goods of the civilisations. He further highlighted that city
was designed or formed in a way to provide maximum facilities using
minimum space, yet it had scope for enlarging itself to accommodate
changing needs of the society.
 Although factors determining transformation of a rural region into urban
center varied across geographies, yet, cities across the world resemble each
other and share commonalities.
 ORIGIN OF URBAN SOCIETIES

 Historical roots of cities in paleo-neolithic times with evidence of the first cities found in the
Near East (now part of Western Asia), particularly in Mesopotamia civilization.
 Three main prerequisites for developing cities
• an ecological base,
• advanced technology in agricultural and non-agricultural spheres,
• well-developed power structure
 Uruk – first city in Mesopotamia,
 Indian Sub-continent – first cities emerged in Indus Valley civilization (Mohen-jo dara and
Harappan civilisations)
A CGI render of the city of Uruk, focusing on the Temple of Inanna, a ziggurat in the center of Uruk, via Artefacts Berlin
Illustrations of lost ancient city of Mohenjo-daro
URBAN SOCIOLOGY IN INDIA
 KEY CONCEPTS IN URBAN SOCIOLOGY

 Urbanisation – A process which reveals itself through temporal,

spatial and sectoral changes in the demographic, social, economic,
technological and environmental aspects of life in a given society.
Urbanization is a Progressive concentration of population in urban
areas (Kingsley Davis-1965)
 Urban
 Urbanism
 The city - A city is a bounded space that is densely settled and has a
relatively large, culturally heterogeneous population.