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Georg Simmel 1858-1918) German Considered importance of urban experience, i.e.

chose to focus on urbanism (life within the city)

rather than urbanization (development of urbanareas), "The Metropolis and Mental Life" is an essaydetailing his views on life in the city, focusing more osocial psychology.

Unique trait of modern city is intensification ofnervous stimuli with which city dweller must cope,from rural setting where rhythm of life and sensoryimagery is more slow, habitual and even, to city withconstant bombardments of sights, sounds and smel

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Individual learns to discriminate, become rational ancalculating, develops a blas attitude matter-of-faa social reserve, a detachment, respond with headrather than heart, dont care and dont get involved

Urbanites highly attuned to time Rationality expressed in advanced economic division

of labour, and the use of money because ofrequirement for a universal means of exchange

Acknowledged freedom, new heights of personal anspiritual development but sense of alienation could

override this

To maintain sense of individuality and not feel like cin machine, do something different or odd to standout

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Social distance Author of this concept, from which we have Bogard

Social Distance Scale (Emery Bogardus ChicagoSchool)

A complex interpretation of social interaction asforms of distance in two ways

1) spatial and 2) symbolic

1) geometric and 2) imagined

1) Physical and 2) symbolic

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Shift from qualitative to quantitative appraisals

Money increases personal freedom and fosters soci

differentiation Money in modern world is standard of value and

means of exchange

Above economic functions, it symbolizes andembodies modern spirit of rationalism, calculability

and impersonality Money is the major mechanism for shift between

gemeinschaft to gesellschaft

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The blas attitude

incapacity to react to new sensations due to saturation.

reinforced by the money economy: money--a commondenominator of all values, regardless of their individuali

reserve, indifference, apathy--forms of psychologicalprotection--become parts of the metropolitan lifestyle.

Positive aspect of metropolitan life: reserve anddetachment produce individual freedom.

Paradox of city life : objectification leads to greater

individualism and subjectivism. The most significant characteristic of the metropolis]

"functional extension beyond its physical boundaries"persons life does not end with the limits of his/her bodyand the area of his/her immediate activity.