Urbanization is Natural and Necessary
As Bob
Dylan once sang, “The times, they are a changin” and indeed,
globalization has severely changed almost every facet of life.
Privatism has allowed capitalism to grow.
This is because things
becoming are increasingly democratic which allows for privatization
of services which allows for companies to find the highest amount of
exploitation. So, now some companies have massive power, some are so
huge that they can almost dictate how a government runs. For legal
purposes companies are even seen as being a person. Nowadays if you
spill a cup of coffee you can sue a company on the basis the company
didn't inform you it was hot. This seems a far cry from time gone of
kings using devices such as the guillotine to kill people guilty of
trivial offenses. This is just one example of how democracy breaks
down walls, for better or for worse. Now that the walls have been
torn down individuals have the power to turn the privatization
machines wheels. These companies are continuously seeking to find the
greatest exploitation. What exactly makes an American company is the
subject of great controversy. A company such as Nike could be seen as
an American company but at the same time the process of how Nike gets
their products into retail store is quite the venture. Nike wants to
be profitable, so they will want to have their products made in
periphery countries. This is because Nike then can pay the workers
the lowest amount. This results in urbanization because individuals
want to work, so they move the the city where the manufacturing
plants are located. Often this results in overcrowding and an influx
of slums. This influx of workers to a city not equipped to handle
them could be seen domestically in North Dakota boom towns.
Dickinson, located in western North Dakota, next to several oil
fields has had a booming population in recent years. In 2010 it had a
population of roughly 17,000 people. In 2013 it is estimated the
population has grown to over 30,000 people. This has lead to
Dickinson having one of the highest housing markets in the nation.
The average price for rent has doubled in three years (cnn.com). The
result of new jobs in the oil fields has lead almost every business
putting up a “now hiring” sign. People are flocking to N.D. To
find work. Wal-Mart starts cashiers out at $17.40 an hour.
This is in
start contrast to almost every other Wal-Mart starting cashiers at or
near minimum wage. But homelessness has gone up dramatically as well.
The key for the city now is to continue to build housing The
manufacturing plant Nike builds helps both countries in different
ways, and eventually if enough jobs are created wages as well as
conditions will increase in these periphery countries. So as a result
of one nation having a democratic society a company can have an
impact on a separate nation, often resulting in urbanizing that
country. So urbanization naturally occurs as a country becomes better
off economically. Perhaps in the past when populations were
relatively small agriculture societies could sustain the nation. But
in today's modern age nations' populations keep increasing, often
resulting in equilibrium in the job market to be thrown off. The
thing that can bring equilibrium back is an influx of jobs, something
agriculture cannot fully provide. So huge companies such as the
meatpacking industry in Chicago emerge to fill the void. Urbanization
emerges and cities take form as a result of companies growing.
Urbanization isn't without its own problems though. Urbanization
naturally leads to different neighborhoods developing. This can be
seen in Burgess' study about the zones of a city. So these different
neighborhoods develop individual cultures where symbols play a large
role in everyday interactions. These symbols can resound a particular
culture of a neighborhood.
In order for businesses sell in these
different neighborhoods they need to be aware of different symbols.
Marketing must be tailored to the different neighborhoods to reflect
the culture in order for the company to get the locals to buy
merchandise. One marketing strategy about “save the whales” may
not be very popular in a neighborhood where whaling is a large
business. So marketing is a reflection of modernity, and is a
creation of urbanization.
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