Similarities Between Buckley And Wirth

In the documentary, The City (1939), the filmmakers examine the problems of large overpopulated cities and advocates the creation of new suburban communities that will benefit the average modern family. It details the harmful environment that large cities create for the habitants in the area. While, also providing specific facts on the advantages of suburban communities. As in The City (1939,) both articles by Buckley and Wirth tackle the topic of urbanism. In Urbanism as a Way of Life, Wirth describes the nature of a city and the ways a city affect its inhabitants. While, Newcomers Adjust, Eventually, to New York, focuses on the difficulties of living in a city and how hard it is to call it home. Both articles aim to describe the nature and relationship that the city have on its inhabitants, while using similar evidence to define the daunting and difficulties of urban life.

A major aspect that Buckley concentrates on is the notion that living in the city will have a resounding effect on a person. Wirth in return matches this idea in the statement, “Urbanization no longer denotes merely the process by which persons are attracted to a place called the city and

incorporated into its system of life. It refers also to that cumulative accentuation of the characteristics distinctive of the mode of life which is associated with the growth of cities, and finally to the changes in the direction of modes of life recognized as urban which are apparent among people, wherever they may be, who have come under the spell of the influences which the city exerts by virtue of the power of its institutions and personalities operating through the means of communication and transportation.” (Wirth, 5)
Furthermore, city life has a major influence on a person’s personality and their every day-to-day routine. The pace of the fast lane and relentless way of life leave people with an everyman for himself mindset. The lure of the city promotes a luxury lifestyle that leads its inhabitants down a path of financial insecurity. As a result, urban life makes it difficult to call it a home. Wirth parallels this in the statement, “Overwhelmingly the city-dweller is not a home-owner, and since a transitory habitat does not generate binding traditions and sentiments, only rarely is he truly a neighbor.” (Wirth, 17) The city does not provide a home for its inhabitants, it allows them to rent apartments and condos. It is a force that controls your lifestyle. In addition, Buckley indicates a similar statement, “There also usually comes a time, early on, when newcomers must accept that the city is a power greater than they are.” (Buckley, 1)
An element that both articles conclude is the need for change.

They provide some ideas on how to conduct this change. For example, Wirth indicates the following action, “It is obviously, therefore, to the emerging trends in the communication system and to the production and distribution technology that has come into existence with modern civilization that we must look for the symptoms which will indicate the probable future development of urbanism as a mode of social life. The direction of the ongoing changes in urbanism will for good or ill transform not only the city but the world.” (Wirth, 24) Consequently, it is of great significance that we comprehend the driving force that is causing the city to disrupt the environment of its inhabitants. To learn from our experiences and pave a better

future.
In Urbanism as a Way of Life, Wirth examines the composition of the city and explains the intricate variation of people that live in this urban life. Wirth implies that the city consists of a wide range of people with diverse backgrounds, which includes culture, race, and ethnicities. Despite having this large collective of people, the city does not provide the same level of fellowship as rural communities. “Furthermore, the greater the number of individuals participating in a process of interaction, the greater is the potential differentiation between them. The personal traits, the occupations, the cultural life, and the ideas of the members of an urban community may, therefore, be expected to range between more widely separated poles than those of rural inhabitants.” (Wirth, 11) In similar fashion, Newcomers Adjust, Eventually, to New York, Buckley presents the following statement, “People are everywhere, but ignore each other on the street.” (Buckley, 1) Both, Buckley and Wirth, imply a disconnect in the urban life.
All in all, both articles address the topic of urbanism, while defining the daunting and difficulties of city life. Buckley and Wirth examine the undeniable affects city life have on the inhabitants, including their lifestyle and personality. Furthermore, they evaluated the inevitable problem of oversized cities. For this reason, Newcomers Adjust, Eventually, to New York and Urbanism as a Way of Life, suggest fundamental ways that will improve the unsuspected dangers of urban life. This includes the implementation of a new community that develops communication and relationships.