Chapter 20

Migration

Form of relocation diffusion involving permanent move to a new location.

Zero Population Growth

Paul Ehrlich(1968) the number of people entering a population through birth or immigration is equal to the number of people leaving it via death or emigration.

Malthusian theory

Starvation is the inevitable result of population growth, because the population increases at a geometric rate while food supply can only increase arithmetically False: technological increases in food production; new medicine to curtail death from disease; the development and widespread use of contraception and other forms of family planning have decreased the speed at which our population increases

sex ratio

The number of males per 100 females in the population.

Human ecology

a functionalist field of study that looks at the relationship between people and their built and natural physical environments (Park 1915).

megalopolis

a huge urban corridor encompassing multiple cities and their surrounding suburbs.

Preventive Checks (Malthus)

birth control and celibacy that control the population but by reducing fertility rates

Stage 1

birth, death, and infant mortality rates are all high, while life expectancy is short

immigration

describes movement into an area to take up permanent residence

carrying capacity

describes the maximum amount of life that can be sustained within a given area.

Pollution

describes what happens when contaminants are introduced into an environment (water, air, land) at levels that are damaging.

sustainable development

development that occurs without depleting or damaging the natural environment

refugee

is defined as an individual who has been forced to leave his or her country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster

Demographic Transition Theory

(Caldwell and Caldwell 2006) suggests that future population growth will develop along a predictable four-stage model.

The Growth of Cities

Gideon Sjoberg (1965), there are three prerequisites for the development of a city: 1)good environment with fresh water and a favorable climate. 2)advanced technology, which will produce a food surplus to support nonfarmers 3)strong social organization to ensure social stability and a stable economy.

mortality rate

a measure of the number of people who die.

population composition

a snapshot of the demographic profile of a population ; the biological and social characteristics of a population, including age, sex, race, marital status, education, occupation, income, and size of household

Suburbs

are communities surrounding cities, typically close enough for a daily commute in, but far enough away to allow for more space than city living affords

asylum-seekers

are those whose claim to refugee status has not been validated.

exurbs

communities that exist outside the ring of suburbs and are typically populated by even wealthier families who want more space and have the resources to lengthen their commute.

Positive Checks (Malthus)

disease, famine, and war that increase mortality rates, thus keeping the population in check

Conflict View

focus on the way urban areas change according to specific decisions made by political and economic leaders. These decisions generally benefit the middle and upper classes while exploiting the working and lower classes. + leaders work alongside each other to influence urban growth and decline, determining where money flows and how land use is regulated. + exchange value and use value of land are balanced to favor the middle and upper classes so that, for example, public land in poor neighborhoods may be rezoned for use as industrial land + urban development is dependent on both structure (groups such as local government) and agency (individuals including businessmen and activists), and these groups engage in a push-pull dynamic that determines where and how land is actually used.

Cornucopian Theory

it asserts that human ingenuity can resolve any environmental or social issues that develop

climate change

long-term shifts in temperatures due to human activity and the release of greenhouse gases into the environment

Environmental racism

minority group neighborhoods (populated primarily by people of color and members of low socioeconomic groups) are burdened with a disproportionate number of hazards, including toxic waste facilities, garbage dumps, and other sources of environmental pollution and foul odors that lower the quality of life.

emigration

movement out of an area to another place of permanent residence

Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY)

movements are more likely to emerge in middle and upper-class neighborhoods as engaged citizens protest poor environmental practices they fear will affect them, so these groups have more control over the use of local land.

internally displaced person

neither a refugee nor an asylum-seeker. Internally displaced persons have fled their homes while remaining inside their country's borders.

Brown zones

nothing can grow are common results of soil pollution (e.g. Soil erosion and desertification)

Stage 3

occurs once a society is thoroughly industrialized; birthrates decline, while life expectancy continues to increase. Death rates continue to decrease.

Gentrification

occurs when members of the middle and upper classes enter and renovate city areas that have been historically less affluent while the poor urban underclass are forced by resulting price pressures to leave those neighborhoods for increasingly decaying portions of the city.

fertility

rate of a society is a measure noting the number of children born.

white flight

refers to the migration of economically secure white people from racially mixed urban areas and toward the suburbs.

environmental sociology

studies the way humans interact with their environments

metropolis

suburbs, exurbs, and metropolitan areas all combined

Stage 4

the postindustrial era of a society. Birth and death rates are low, people are healthier and live longer, and society enters a phase of population stability. Overall population may even decline.

Urbanization

the process of becoming more urban, when the population increasingle lives in cities.

Demography

the study of populations; comprised of fertility, mortality, and migration

Stage 2

where birthrates are higher while infant mortality and the death rates drop. Life expectancy also increases.