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Urbanization is growing in today’s world. More and more people seem to be moving to the cities. Henslin states that urbanization is growing worldwide. He says that 45% of today’s people live in the cities. These statistics state that 75% of the industrialized world and 38% of the least industrialized nations live in the cities. Henslin also believes that by the year 2020, most of the people in the world will live in the cities. In the article titled “Urbanization: An Environmental Force to be Reckoned With” it states that urbanization is growing rapidly, while rural areas increase their population much slower. The article says that while the world’s population is growing, the urban cities population seems to be tripling. They believe that in the next couple years, the urban cities population will double. Both the article and Henslin seem to agree that urbanization is growing rapidly. Alienation within a community in a city is a concern that Henslin mentions. He tells a story of a girl who is stabbed several times while neighbors just watch and do nothing. This story shows how living in the city can give a person individual freedom, but that freedom can be harmful. People who live in cities seem to run into stranger after stranger and begin to ignore other people’s problems. So in order to have the personal freedom that the city has, you must suffer some alienation. Henslin states that the Gemeinschaft, the community in which everyone knows everyone, disappears and the Gessellschaft, more impersonal relationships, appears. He states that when this happens people begin to think that other people’s lives is none of their business. The website about intentional communities shows that with work you can bring the Gemeinschaft back. These intentional communities are made so people can feel close to their neighbors and safe. Most of these communities have diversity within them, but seem to work towards the same goals and common purposes. The article relates to Henslin because it tries to bring back communities togetherness and tries to get rid of alienation. Henslin states that women in poor countries seem to bear more children. These women see their children as gifts from God, and they depend on their children to support them as they grow older. So the more children a person has, the more people they have to care for them as they get older. Henslin says that the fertility rate in the world has an average of 2.9 kids per mother. This rate is higher in some countries and lower in others. He also says that the growing population can bring several problems to the world. The population grows rapidly but the food supply stays the same. This means that the poorer countries in the world may not have enough food and money to support so many children and people. The article from the urban institute talks about how many children are on welfare and needing to find foster families. It also states how the people who need more time off, like mothers, are less likely to get paid vacations and sick pay. This relates to what Henslin states because the people with more children may not get an adequate amount of money and food to support their children. This also relates to what Henslin says because if these mothers have more children, the children can work more and help support the family when the mother does not get as much pay as she may need. Henslin discusses the migration rate in the United States. He states that migration can occur in two ways. One way is when people move from one part of a country to another part of the same country. Another form of migration is when someone moves from one country to another country. In both cases, the immigrants are typically seeking a better life. They are willing to give up what they know and their living situations, to move to unfamiliar territory to make their lives better. He also states that the United States is the number one place where immigrants move. The website from the Operation of Population research from Princeton University discusses the Mexicans and Latin Americans. It has statistics on why and how many people from these countries have migrated to the United States. This site contains studies of these two countries migration flows. This site relates to what Henslin states because it shows how migration occurs and at what rate it may occur. It also describes the immigrants’ lives and situations and shows why people may migrate to the U.S. or other countries. Henslin discusses the three demographic variables that affect the world’s population. These variables are fertility, mortality, and migration. He states that being able to predict the world’s population is very important to several people. For example, how many schools should be built or how many doctors are needed. To be able to predict the future population you must know and understand each of these demographic variables. The website from the National Center for Health Statistics shows a table of trends in all of these variables. The site discusses fertility among women and crude birth rates. It also discusses various death rates among all ages. This site relates to Henslin because it shows how these demographic variables work and how they affect the population of the world. |
