Urbanism As A Way Of Life- Sheeba Mays

   Wirth described urbanism as a way of life that consist of many characteristics. Those characteristics were: a large and dense area with permanent settlements of heterogeneous groups. Do I believe that this still holds true today? I think it depends on everyone's personal perception of urbanism. I do agree that urban life is dense and is settled with a large group of heterogeneous residents. However, when I think of the city I do not see a large area. Instead I only think of the downtown area or the core commercial/work area for a particular location. In those specific spaces it is heavily dense and packed with residents,workers, tourists, and commuters. Therefore, I do agree with most of his characteristics in terms of density and settlements of heterogeneous groups. 
I can definitely argue that there are some essential features within city living that Wirth has left out.
    
     The first feature that I believe is very essential to note is the  fast pace environment in the city. With the dense population and a variety of people flowing in the city streets things can get very crowded and overwhelming for someone who is not use to that type of organized chaos. The environment is fast pace because of the congestion and the fact that there are so many people with their own agendas. For example: people on their way to work in cars, trains, buses or even just tourists trying to find a specific restaurant or architectural monument can all make the environment seem rushed. 
      The second and last essential feature that Wirth didn't mention is the spatial structure of cities. City spatial structure is almost always different than that of suburbia's spatial structure. What I mean by spatial structure is the level of changes in culture, environment, and social-class within a neighborhood or even a block. The example we used in class was Chicago city blocks vs. Naperville blocks. When in Naperville you can walk a few blocks or even drive a few miles from your location and still see almost the same environment. However, in the city you can walk a block and be in a completely different environment. The cultures, social-class, and physical settings can change drastically just in a few steps. 


    I really enjoyed this reading because it got me thinking about the differences of city and suburban life. Because I have experience being a resident in both locations it is great to actually be able to sit down and compare the two lifestyles. Though I did not agree with everything Wirth had to say I was able to see that there are many different viewpoints of urbanism as a way of life.