SOCIOLOGY NOTES WINTER 2004

I. Causes of suburbanization
a. Central cities couldn’t annex additional territory because of district of central city
b. PENT UP DEMAND – High employment + no place to spend the money.
19200’s WWI war rations, depression, Roosevelts administrative practices.

II. FHA loans 1934 guarantees mortgages

a. Stimulates housing, influences other facets of economy as well
b. Before 1934 10 year loan down payment was 50%
c. After 1934 10% for 30 or 40 year loan

III. 1944 VA- changed mortgage lending practices

IV. marriage boom, baby boom, baby boom led to a bust then echo and generationX
1963-1975(busty boom)
V. baby boom causes
a. pro family attitude
b. economic good times
c. ignorance of family planning
d. advertising

VI. Categories of Suburbs

a. affluent bedroom communities – high income well to do
b. settled communities
c. low income growing
d. low income stagnate

VII. crime
a. prevention
i. James T Wilson crime prevention for community based policing felt root
casues no a proponent of crime wanted to interven to be good role models
in early childhood. Head Start program also brings in the parents.b
b. deterence
i. proactive policing -# of policemen not as important as what they do
ii. treat drug dependency
iii. enforcing truency and curfew laws
iv. all of robberies happened at 2% of addresses
v. John Dilulio – thought it cost less to incarcerate than to let the robbers loose
VIII. the changing process
a. 1970’s rapid growth in small towns rural renaissance / myth
b. sun belt shift 50’s 60’s
c. Sam Bass Warner defines North American city
i. The Walking Horse Car theory – pre 1890 (1820-1890) = pedestrian era horse
drawn carts
ii. Electric Street Car 1890 1st street car = richmond virginia
 1. factors were how far are you willing to walk to work ½ mile, cities formed
in star shaped patterns. 5 cents for street cars casues decentralization
2. ideal place for americans to live is not downtown they don’t like the
central city leads to edge city gentrification (people moving back into
downtown) or ‘sub’urb selective social decentralization lessens
heterogeneity of social groups
iii. Heterogeneity vs no segregated socially, city was compact and densely populated
d. Elevator Era – 1880-1890 chicago
e. Early Automobile Era - 1920-1950 CBD was dominant
f. The Henry ford of Homes = William Levitt applied mass production to homes creating
Levittowns assemblymen carpenters etc
g. Lakewood 1950-1990 Mass Suburbanization
h. 1960 the mall changes suburbia

terms –
a.block busting – realtors manipulate peoples fear in order to make a sell ie introducing minorities into
a neighborhood to show that the value of the house will drop therfore sell now cheap.
b.steering – realtors make judgement call , show different people different houses even though they
might have same needs.
c. white flight – myth inner city ghetto spills over into white area and when population of minorities
reaches between 15% - 25% then we have reached the tipping point where white people flee hence
white flight.
d. LuLu - ? unwanted land use nimby – not in my backyard
e. managed integration - keeps white flight in check no panic selling Oak park in Chicago, black
suburban categories spill over ghetto
f. ANOMIE – alienation, no anchor loss of community polarization of neighborhoods, 2/3 vote needed
to annex a territory front porchs

g. Karl Marx proletariat- property less bourgeoisis factory owners expoiters urban splitting society
possesion of capital = wealth, and wealth provide more than financial security .
h.Max Weber bad luck casued poverty capitalism vs socialism industrial revolution

i social stratification – the splitting of society

1. class
2. status / prestige
3. power
W. Lloyd Warner – evaluated participation
Joseph Howell clay street
1. hard livin group no tomorrow no plans spend money now , rootlessness white trash
Secretary has a lot of power but not a lot of prestige?