Urbanization Radical or Revolutionary?

 Zantrell Carter

Professor Harris

ENGL2017-64187

23 April 2025

Urbanization 

Radical or Revolutionary?

The concept of “Urbanization” has been perceived differently throughout history. Some view it as the embodiment of societal growth and advancement, while those affected by it ponder otherwise. Minorities compromised by urbanization typically fall on the other end of this spectrum. Urbanization has played a significant part in advancing and shaping American development; we wouldn't be where we are today without it, so with that being said, would you classify it as revolutionary? Radical? Or both. There are several positive and negative factors to put into consideration when giving your answer, including but not limited to the environment, minorities, racism, the government, and culture. Urbanization is radical in the sense that it greatly alters our society, developing people's lives, work, and how they interact with others. This transition leads to a massive amount of social changes, which tend to challenge traditional power structures. Contrastingly, it can also be considered revolutionary because it helps innovation by creating opportunities such as cultural exchange, social movements, and new industries. Conversations surrounding urbanization will always vary based on many factors, so one answer is never correct. This informative paper will explain the positive and negative effects of urbanization so the reader can form their own opinion on where they fall on this conversation.

In the book titled “Sula” by Toni Morrison, the town “Medallion was seen as less than by the white Americans. This was because it had infertile soil, was prone to flooding, and had a very inconvenient location. Despite all these flaws, the African Americans who inhabited this small town thrived there and made it valuable. They built their own community with its own class systems and way of life. Urbanization had a profound impact on this town because, as their neighbors began to develop further, advancing themselves, Medallion started to face decline. This decline led to a huge decrease in the town's overall population, which resulted in the loss of the community as a whole. As those around the town of Medallion started to face economic growth, the people wanted to seek jobs in these newly developed urban areas, leaving the community that it once was. In this context, did urbanization help the town of Medallion? Or did it forcefully deconstruct a thriving black community that was seen as nonvaluable and therefore worthless? Urbanization creates a dynamic that pushes people out of their hometowns due to unfavorable or inconvenient conditions. This pulls them towards more urban areas that promise a better quality of life. But what happens to those who can't afford this “urban” way of living?

Urbanization is not only prominent in the black community, but also finds itself deep within the roots of Native American individuals. Due to urbanization, Native Americans have come across significant challenges such as discrimination, poverty, and limited access to healthcare and housing. Natives have a huge sense of culture and tradition, so when shifting from “Rural” to “Urban” living areas, this can be lost, leading to a disconnect from their culture. On a positive note, there have been dozens of Native communities that have thrived due to the opportunities that urbanization has provided, such as educational resources, job programs, and living conditions. Despite some positive outcomes, this isn't the case for all. Assimilation is hard, especially when it dosent occur naturally. 

One important type of urbanization I think is very important to mention is gentrification. Gentrification is a process where poorer areas are transformed to cater to wealthier individuals. During this transformation, the inhabitants of this poor area are displaced due to not being able to afford the property value anymore. This process is often prominent in many African American and Native American communities. Those with more money want to make the surrounding area look more appealing, which means deconstructing the thriving community that was once there and building a wealthier one. Often, they don't even build anything new on the land, they just don't want it to be associated with being seen as lower-class living. A good example of this is Wossman High School. Before becoming a mostly black high school, Wossman had a predominantly white attendance. When the area started to become more diverse, the white people went elsewhere. After that, the south side of town was no longer seen as urban, which is why in present times, mostly black Americans inhabit both the school and that side of town. Urbanization relates to racism and discrimination because black people are often viewed through a prejudiced lens. So when we can afford to live and go in spaces we couldn't before, those spaces are then deemed worthless. 

In conclusion, there are many downsides and upsides to urbanization. Downsides include a loss of community, culture, and gentrification, and the upsides are more access to education and job opportunities. Despite all the negatives, urbanization will always be a vital part in our communal development, but there is a correct and incorrect way to approach it. Dismantling minority communities to fit the white gaze is not the correct way to approach it. Forcing people from their homes and raising the cost of living to force them out isn't the correct way to handle it. Doing these things will only cause poverty and dysfunction. Correctly urbanizing an area looks like preserving the culture that was previously there, building a nice, affordable, and sustainable environment, and offering equitable infrastructure. Doing this not only ensures those who previously inhabited the area can continue to inhabit it, but also offers opportunities for those who don't have an abundance of wealth a good quality of living. These huge companies in charge of urbanizing areas usually don't care about the poor, nor the previous inhabitants; all they see is money. Meaning its up to us as a community to come together and change the way things are, instead of being content with the toxic traditions of the world. Just because that's how it's always been shouldn't make it acceptable or right. Urbanization can be a liberator if we could simply have enough empathy for others to envision and do it correctly. 

 

Works Cited

“Indians on the Move.” Google Books, books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=0taIDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=info:FVAyVFdvqPEJ:scholar.google.com/&ots=Hue25EWfLI&sig=1fhf3QexYchqdlN1nR3n3qg2Cy8#v=onepage&q&f=false.

Bartik, Alexander W., and Evan Mast. “Black Suburbanization: Causes and Consequences of a Transformation of American Cities.” Upjohn Research, research.upjohn.org/up_workingpapers/355.

Liddle, Brantley. “Urbanization and Inequality/Poverty.” Urban Science, vol. 1, no. 4, Nov. 2017, p. 35. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci1040035.

“The Cambridge Handbook of Social Problems:” Google Books, books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=jdtPDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA475&dq=info:Rsi3auhnIiwJ:scholar.google.com/&ots=Ah8DDXYn1n&sig=wGLEqITrpqVyOaKNi1T3vlbYqYI#v=onepage&q&f=false.

Sula