<p> Population and Urbanization</p><p>Demography • study of size, composition, growth and distribution of human populations • Malthusian theorem – while population grows geometrically, food supply increases only arithmetically – if births go unchecked, the population will outstrip its food supply • exponential growth curve – if growth doubles during approximately equal intervals of time, it suddenly accelerates • demographic transition – stage 1: high birth rate, high death rate, relatively stable population – stage 2: high birth rate, low or decreasing death rate, rapidly growing population – stage 3: low or decreasing birth rate, low death rate, relatively stable population</p><p>Population Growth • least industrialized nations (1.8% per year) growing 15 times faster than most industrialized nations (0.1% per year) – Why do least industrialized nations have so many children? • status of parenthood • supported by shared community values • children considered an economic asset • men control women's reproductive choices • implications of different rates of growth – population pyramids depict population by age and sex • age cohort – standard of living related to political stability</p><p>3 Basic Demographic Variables • fertility – fertility rate – fecundity rate – crude birth rate • mortality – crude death rate • migration – net migration rate; • immigrants, emigrants • push, pull factors – from least industrialized nations to industrialized countries • basic demographic equation – growth rate = births - deaths + net migration • growth rate declines in every country that industrializes Urbanization • masses of people moving to cities and these cities having a growing influence on society – metropolis – megalopolis – metropolitan statistical area (MSA)</p><p>U.S. Urban Patterns • 75-80% of Americans live in cities – over half of entire population in 45 MSAs • net migration between regions in U.S. – greatest increase in south • gentrification – movement of (upper) middle class people into run down areas • attracted by low cost housing that can be restored – improvement in appearance of neighborhood – displacement of lower income residents</p><p>Aspects of City Life in the U.S. • alienation • sense of community • types of urban dwellers – cosmopolites, singles, ethnic villagers, deprived, trapped • norm of noninvolvement and the diffusion of responsibility – the more bystanders there are, the less likely people are to help</p><p>Decline of U.S. Cities • suburbanization – shift in population and resources away inner cities – erosion of tax base – decline in services – development of ghetto • disinvestment – redlining • deindustrialization and globalization • urban renewal – tear down and rebuild area, displacement of residents • enterprise zones – economic incentives to encourage business</p>