Chapter XV

RURAL-URBAN COMMUNITIES
 RURAL COMMUNITIES
A rural community is form of association maintained between the
people and their institutions in a local area in which they live on dispersed
farmsteads and in a village usually forms the center of their common activities.

When this definition is analyzed, there are three essential elements:

1. Locality – there is an identifiable geographical area. The territory may

be large or small, depending upon other factors.
2. People of Community – residents maybe few or many; they may be
densely settled or widely scattered. The confines of a community are not
determined by any fixed standards of population or of area size.
3. Common dependence upon institutions & services – is the
determining factor. People belong to the same community because they buy
at the same stores, sell at the same markets, deal with the same banks,
attend the same schools and churches, etc.
COMMUNITY SERVICES
Community has its sources in common dependence upon
institutions, and services.

The following are leading services available to the rural population:

• URBAN COMMUNITIES

Urban communities include cities and the metropolitan areas.

It is commonly recognized that the way of life of the city is different
from that of the rural areas. Also, it has many times been observed that
the influence of the city is increasing and spreading. The term
urbanization is used in connection with this extension of city
influence.
BASIC FEATURES OF CITY LIFE

Much of the distinctiveness of the way of life of the city is

derived from its density of population, diversity of groups, and
physical environment. Within a relatively small area, great number
of people work, play, raise families, and seek satisfaction of their
physical and psychological needs.

POPULATION DENSITY

Population density is in urban characteristics. It influences

both the number & the nature of social contacts. It is obvious, that
there is a limit to the number of people who can be known to one
individual. The inhabitant of a densely populated urban area is
surrounded by myriads of person who are unknown to him. This is
known as phenomenon of proximity without acquaintance.
• SOCIAL DIFFERENTIATION

The city has always been the home of heterogenous

population. People of many races, nationalities, occupations,
religions, interests, and classes live together within a relatively
small area.

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

The way of life of the urbanite is profoundly influenced by the

physical and material environment in which he moves. Repeatedly
and regularly, he is exposed to sets of stimuli which are peculiar
to the physical environment of the city. What the individual sees,
hears, smells, feels, and thinks is determined by the physical
stimuli about him. To these stimuli some kind of response must be
made. A process of conditioning is constantly going on. Habits of
response are formed which may be considered as characteristics of
the urban way of life.
Characteristically, the urban environment is congested. The
congestion is greatest at the center of the city. Space is a premium.
Disorder is another characteristic of the physical environment of
the city. In blighted areas, there is deterioration of order.

The city is also a center of noise. The description of the

physical environment of the city is not a commentary on the
desirability or the undesirability of such surroundings. The point
is adjustment to their distinctive type of environment is a
component of the way of life of city people. Many who live in
the city become acclimated to the stimuli surrounding them. In
fact, they feel maladjusted when they are too long removed from
the setting to which they accustomed.