Pre-urban settlements have existed for a long time now – at least approximately ten thousand years. However, serious studies of urban life began only in the middle of the 19th century. According to Borer et al., this is due to it being the age when urban places as we know them now started abundantly emerging and rapidly spreading around the world (1). That was particularly the case with Western societies facing intense industrialization at the time. In general, the connection between city formation and industrialization is essential to the way scientists and historians view urban life.
The first cities developed in a variety of geographical areas, from Mesopotamia to both Americas to Asia. Agriculture is considered to be one of the necessary conditions for the development of cities since they maintain excess production and build economies of scale. The blossoming of farming led hunters and gatherers to forsake nomadic lifestyles and locate alongside those who were living off agricultural production. More food was yielded, making it possible for population density to increase, thus facilitating urban development (Borer et al. 11). Amounts of food surpluses stored in the cities, in their turn, were instrumental in promoting trade.
With ancient cities organically serving as exclusively storage cites and trade centers, pre-industrial ones advanced to transform into distinct political units – not dissimilar to modern-day states. In addition, in medieval times, cities provided people with newly found autonomy from rural obligations. According to Frediani, city residences relieved peasants of their normal duties to the community and lord (89). This is due to cities often being regulated by their own laws, independent of those of the lords of surrounding territories.
The industrial era marked the rapid growth of cities and their becoming centers of both production and population. Modern industry’s advancement from the end of the 18th century and onwards resulted in massive urbanization, as new opportunities drove great amounts of migrants from rural areas to urban regions (Borer et al. 17). In 1800, less than 5% of the world’s population resided in cities; since the industrial age, that rate has risen to almost 50% (Frediani 93). The United States is a great example of the evolvement of this process; by the beginning of the 20th century, the advent of railways decreased transportation costs. Major production centers started to arise in the country, which enabled population flow.
As more people came over to cities to become a part of the industrial workforce, the social fabric started reflecting the increasing diversity of the population. Family farmers, America’s backbone from the times of colonial settlements almost three hundred years earlier, lost their social status. It was a time of the emergence of a new type of leader – the manager. As the role of local, male, white, highly skilled workers diminished, the role of immigrants, females, people of color, and semiskilled and unskilled workers increased.
When it comes to my personal perspective, I can estimate which causes might have influenced the place where I live – which is Fresno, California. Possible factors in the development of the city are industrialization, the increase in population due to migration, and the establishment of recreational and educational facilities. With industrialization come social and economic changes. They are reflected in the emergence of new technologies in production and industrial output growth. Migration is the reason for the population increase: immigrants come to the United States and settle there. In terms of Fresno, it is populated with Hmong people who had immigrated from Laos and Thailand to escape the war. In addition, there are new health facilities and schools in the city, the building of which is to provide more advantages for people who live in the area.
Works Cited
Borer, Michael Ian, et al. Urban People and Places: The Sociology of Cities, Suburbs, and Towns. SAGE Publications, 2014.
Frediani, Alexandre Apsan. Cities for Human Development: A Capability Approach to City-Making. Practical Action Publishing, 2021.