Chapter 21, Population, Urbanism, And The Environment

Demography and the U.S. Census Population Characteristics Theories of Population Growth Locally and

Globally Checking Population Growth

Chapter 21, Population, Urbanism, And The Environment

Urbanism Ecology and the Environment Globalization: Population and Environment in

the Twenty-First Century

Three Demographic Processes

The total number of people in a society at any given moment is determined by:

Births Deaths Migrations

Births

The crude birth rate for the entire world is about 27.1 births per thousand people.

The crude birth rate for the U.S. is about 16 births per thousand people.

Minority groups tend to have higher birth rates than Whites.

 Deaths

In the U.S. poverty and minority status result in lowered life expectancy and increased infant mortality.

The U.S. ranks near the bottom among Western nations with a life expectancy of 76.2.

Women around the world experience higher life expectancy than men.

 Deaths

The lower one's social class, the less one's life expectancy, regardless of gender.

Minority group individuals, especially African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans, have lower life expectancies and higher infant mortality than Whites.

 Migration

Current migration patterns in the U.S. have resulted in an increase of people of color in urban and suburban areas.

Large portions of populations, such as the underclass, remain stuck in central cities.

 Malthusian Theory

Idea that population grows faster than the subsistence needed.

Predicted uncontrolled population growth checked by famine, disease, and war.

Malthusian Theory

Three revolutionary developments that derailed the cycle of growth and catastrophe:

Technological advances in agriculture Medical control of disease Development and widespread use of

contraceptives

Demographic Transition Theory

Three stages to population change Stage 1 - high birthrate and high death rate. Stage 2 - High birthrate and lower death rate Stage 3 - low birthrate and low death rate

Zero Population Growth

The environment is a critical factor in the growth and health of populations.

Many of the predictions have been realized. Despite advances, worldwide population

growth is still out of control. Advocates policies promoting zero population

growth to reach population replacement level.

Theories of  Urbanism

Simmel - urban life leads individuals to become insensitive and avoid emotional involvement.

Wirth - the city is a center of distant, cold interpersonal interaction.

Gans - many city residents develop strong loyalties and have a sense of community.

 Race, Class, and the Suburbs

1/4 of African Americans live in suburban areas, where sub-groupings tend to form based on class and race.

Racial segregation, promoted by landlords, homeowners, and realtors, persists in suburban neighborhoods and schools.

Human Ecologyand the Environment

Any society is an ecosystem with interdependent forces:

human populations natural resources the environment

Human Ecologyand the Environment

Depletion of a natural resource affects other parts of the ecosystem.

Toxic waste dumps are often at or very near areas with high concentration of minorities.

In the past three decades, federal and local agencies have made concerted efforts to bring environmental pollution under control.

Population and Environment in the 21st Century

The UNDP estimates that the world population will stabilize at 10 billion, with a high estimate of as much as 14 billion.

The U.S. will continue to experience increasing suburban development, heavy industry, and additional pollution.