Social Work Commons^™

Urban Pathology, Brian L. Pitcher

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Urban theorists have long debated to what extend and how the social problems of the city have been brought about or exaggerated in some consistent way by the urban environments in which they occur. This presentation reviews theories of urbanism, and the features of cities which contribute to the augmentation and control of various types of social pathology. Special emphasis is given to some types and patterns of urban unrest, and the structural characteristics associated with deleterious urban environments. Also included is perspective on the contested nature of social relations, the construction of perceptions of social pathology, and some overall …