Sociologie en de stad

Samenvatting

Two questions concerning Urban sociology are addressed: (1) the legitimacy of Urban sociology as a distinct sociological discipline; & (2) the contribution of sociology to the study of cities & Urban processes. An analysis of the classical theories of Ferdinand Tonnies, Emile Durkheim, Georg Simmel, & Max Weber demonstrates that their authoritative statements founding Urban sociology have been misunderstood & used out of context. A shortcoming of traditional Urban sociology is its elimination of territoriality as a sociological factor. Originally, it identified Urban & Ru forms of life with city & countryside as morphological categories; this identification is no longer valid. However, sociology still has something to offer cities & Urban society. The "social gatekeepers" of the city -- architects, welfare officers, aldermen, & Urban politicians seem inclined to exaggerate the social significance of planned Urban environment; sociologists, by refuting such notions both theoretically & empirically, can contribute to the organization of Urban processes. Modified HA