‘Urban’ means relating to or located in a city. It represents the characteristics of the city or city life. It has its roots in the Latin word "Urbnus," the root "urb" meaning city. Urban refers to the city or town. Several criteria, including demographic, ecological, and socio-cultural attributes, are used to identify an urban area. It is the size of the population and degree of complexity of organisation, which differentiates a village from a town, a town from a city or from a metropolis. The concentration of population, predominance of non-agricultural activities and better provision of social amenities, including health and education infrastructure, are important characteristics of urban areas. However, there is a stark variation in the distribution and access to these among the various communities living in urban areas.
The Meaning of Urban Community
Urban Community life represents the city-life. Though the term ‘Urban’ popularity used, it is not properly defined. There is no single definition of a city or urban community.
1. The urban sociologist Howard Woolston, in his ‘Metropolis’, defined the city as a “limited geographic area, inhabited by a largely and closely settled population, having many common interests and institutions, under a local government authorised by the State.”
2. Park in his “The City” says that the city far from being a mere collection of individuals and of social conveniences, is rather a “state of mind, a body of customs and traditions, and the organised attitudes and sentiments that inhere in these customs.”
3. James A. Quinn, in his “Urban Sociology”, viewed the city as a “phenomenon of specialisation”, as a population aggregate whose occupations are nonagricultural.
4. Adna F. Weber, in his “The Growth of Cities”, defined the city as any incorporated place with a minimum of 10,000 inhabitants.
5. Louis Wirth, in his essay “Urbanism as a way of life”, writes: “For sociological purposes a city may be defined as relatively large, dense and permanent settlement of socially heterogeneous individuals.”
Though some sociologists have tried to define the concept of ‘urban’, no one has given a satisfactory definition so far. Bergel writes, “Everybody seems to know what a city is, but no one has given a satisfactory definition.” Kingsley Davis writes, “Much ink has been wasted in trying to define urban”. MacIver remarks, the two (urban and rural communities), there is no sharp demarcation to tell where the city ends and country begins.” Every village possesses some elements of the city, while every city carries some features of the villages. Different criteria are used to decide whether a community is urban. Some of them are population, legal limits, types of occupations, and social organisation.
Features of Urban Community
A sociological analysis of urban life and community reveals the following features:
1. Social Heterogeneity: If villages are the symbol of cultural heterogeneity. In cities, we find a diverse range of groups, each representing a distinct culture. The villages are natural carriers of culture, and they preserve their integrity intact as they evolve. On the other hand, in cities, we find a confluence of many cultures, each reacting with the others. Thus, all cultures that participate in this interplay and interreaction are, to some extent, changed or modified. Therefore, whereas unity and uniformity are characteristics of villages, in cities we find multiplicity of cultures and viewpoints.
2. Secondary control: In villages, there is strict control over an individual’s behaviour exercised by family, caste or class. However, in cities, none of these groups exercises effective control over behaviour. In cities, individuals’ behaviour is controlled by agencies such as the police and law courts. This is known as secondary control.
3. Social Mobility: The most essential feature of urban industrial society is its social mobility. In urban society, the social status of an individual is determined not by all heredity or circumstances of his birth but by his works and economic status. In cities, men are not born good but make good. Thus, in urban life, a person can achieve as much progress as they wish, depending on their intelligence and efforts. Through hard work and good intelligence, an individual can achieve great things. In cities, the caste barrier is breaking down. The incidence of inter-caste marriages is growing. Women’s education is encouraged and educated men and women are not orthodox in their ways and habits. In colleges and universities, men and women belonging to Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra mix up without consideration of caste or class. New social changes and reforms are agegenerally accepted more readily byty dwellers than by rural people.
4. Voluntary Associations: Owing to a variety of professions, castes, groups and cultures in cities, there are numerous voluntary groups and associations. The primary groups, such as family, tend to lose their orthodox character and exhibit a tendency towards libertarianism.
5. Individuality: On account of voluntary associations and secondary control, the city dwellers develop a personality of their own. The ideals, the viewpoints and the conduct and behaviour which a city dweller encounters are so varied and contrary that the traditional moral codes cease to have much meaning for him. A city-dweller feels compelled to fashion out his own conduct of life according to his own reason and choice. On account of this, whereas his behaviour tends to be arbitrary, it also bears the indelible stamp of his own personality.
6. Lack of Community Feeling: Not only is there a lack of community feeling in villages, but there is also a lack of unity and harmony in the family. In cities, people are not bothered by social obloquy or ridicule. They can pursue their individual ends, unmindful of what others think about them. People in cities are so busy with their individual pursuits that they have no time left to think about others.
7. Lack of unity in Family: In cities, we find not only the lack of community feelings but there is also lack of unity, homogeneity and harmony in the family. Each member of the family, including the father, mother, sisters, and brothers, is busy with their own programs, which do not interfere with each other’s independence. Each member has their own society and pursues their individual ends. Generally, the unity and cohesiveness among family members is no better than among people staying in a hotel.
8. Moral Laxity: On account of the lack of community feeling, lack of homogeneous family, western influence and an atmosphere of luxury and comfort prevailing in the cities, moral laxity results. In the hustle and bustle of city, there is no control over every individual’s behaviour and the incidence of pre-marital and extramarital sex is fairly high in the cities. In Western cities, polygamous tendencies are clearly accepted and people freely enjoy themselves.
9. Unbalanced Personality: A combination and mixture of such facts, as looseness of character and morals, artificial environs and atmosphere, the deleterious influence of cinema and other means of entertainment, high ambition and lustful desires and general mentality of materialism, have resulted in producing an unbalanced personality of city dwellers. In producing imbalance in the personality of a city dweller, specialisation has also contributed significantly. The false facade and artificial glitter of the city often disillusion people. In cities, the element of humanity has been lost among dwellers. We find highly literate and skilled professionals, such as professors, doctors, and lawyers, in the cities, but we rarely come across ordinary human beings. People in city work at fast pace, but the growth of their personalities is usually one-sided.
10. High Incidence of Crime: As a consequence of the above mentioned features, the rate of crime is very high in cities. All kinds of crimes, infanticide, abortion, theft, promiscuity, all occur in great numbers and with high frequency.
11. Social Disorganisation: Again, owing to above-mentioned features we find social disorganisation in the cities, people are dissatisfied and discontented. Many conflicts, both direct and indirect, constantly ravage the mental and physical health of city dwellers. The class and status feelings are very acute. The strikes and class conflicts are frequent. The evils of communalism and factionalism are quite rampant. Interpersonal and inter-familial relations are also uneasy. Thus, urban society is a divided society, and urban life is a divided life marked by conflicts and tensions.
12. Peculiarities of Marital Life: In urban societies, marriages take place rather late in life There is no prohibitive or strict control over pre-marital and extra-marital relations. Many boys and girls prefer to live single and are averse to marriage, to them sex need is of the same class and nature as food need. Both can be met in the same manner. Love marriages are commonplace. Due to the use of contraceptives fewer children are born. The pursuit of comfort, luxury and sensual pleasures is common. In cities we also come across prostitutes and society girls. Generally, men outnumber women in cities.
13. Heterogeneity: In cities all over the world, we find great disparity in the living conditions of rich and poor. Whereas some people live in grand, air-conditioned mansions. Their needs, attended to by an army of servants, many have no shelter overhead and do not have enough victuals to appease their hunger. In cities, we also find great disparity in regard to food habit, living conditions, language, religious beliefs, cultural outlook, customs and traditions and social norms of city dwellers There is great variety and contrariness in this regard. In cities, people of different religious persuasions, holding different ideals, inspired by different cultural customs and traditions, live. Their thinking and outlook differ widely from each other. The city dwellers, as a rule are ambitious, individualistic, rationalistic, materialistic, secular, and alert to their personal interests.
14. Dynamic Life: Compared to rural life, urban life is much more dynamic. The city-dwellers fiercely compete with each other in matters of fashion, educational accomplishments, money making and collecting luxury goods. Besides there is also fierce rivalry and competition in regard to class-status, professional supremacy and political domination. Various cultures, class and political groups compete with each other for domination and supremacy. There are also genuine attempts at reconciliation and compromise and for cooperative functioning but complete success in this regard is never achieved. Thus, the life in cities is diverse and many splendoured.
15. Voluntary Associations are formed quick: As mentioned earlier, the urban life is much more dynamic and fast than the rural life. People are very firm and insistent about their rights. People in cities hold divergent views with regard to political and social matters and in order to materialised and implement their viewpoints they form voluntary associations. As education and literacy is widespread in cities city dwellers are individualistic and think rationally about political and social matters and form their own opinions about these. They are not orthodox and traditionalist. They are jealous of their liberty and independence and are ever ready to take up cudgels against exploitation and cruelty. Therefore, daily some or the other new association is formed to take up new political and social challenges.
Urban communities are dynamic and diverse, with a mix of cultures, professions, and lifestyles. While they offer opportunities for social mobility and personal growth, they also come with challenges like social disorganization, lack of close-knit relationships, and rising crime. Life in cities is fast-paced, with people focused on individual goals, but this can lead to a sense of impersonal, fragmented communities. Despite these issues, urban areas continue to evolve and attract people seeking better opportunities and lifestyles.
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