Urban Sociology - Essay Example

Urban Sociology The control of the landscape is distinctively divided in two categories ly; marginal and prime spaces with each stratification having a set of moral orders that regulates its social grouping. The differences in the land occupancy not only arise from social interaction, but also political nature that is superimposed on the local moral statutes and orders. It is these moral orders that give rise to marginal and prime spaces. The major difference between prime and marginal spaces is the fact the tramps are not allowed accessed to the prime spaces given that the prime landscapes are only associated with the top political and socio-economic class (Duncan 164-5).

The marginal spaces with limited resources are made accessible to the low social class like the tramps who are naturally nomads. Though desirable, it is very challenging for the tramps to adapt to the normal moral social orders like the rest of the host city residents. The major impediment to tramps conforming to the moral orders within the city is their nomadic lifestyle. Secondly, given their poor economic status, the tramps are perceived as a problem to the rest of the society in terms of space and property control (Duncan 165).

The prime space locals believe that the tramps’ lacks of property limit their contribution to resource control and ownership as well as marginal economic contribution. This is consistent with Mead Herbert’s symbolic interactionism that asserts that the formations of human selves are products of the differences in the socio-economic statutes. Despite the restrictions and the risk of harassment that the tramps are likely to meet when they enter the prime space, the tramps have reasons for taking the risks.

The tramps risk arrest and discrimination in prime spaces in orders to get access to more resources and employments opportunities that are critical in improving their social status (Duncan 166). Some of the strategies applied by the tramps in accessing the restricted spaces include mobility, attachments to a member of the host population, and eschewing unwieldy possessions. To avoid being arrested by the host landscape guards and security, the tramps are forced to adopt low profile by replacing their worn out and old clothes with new and fashionable clothes to reduce the risk of being recognized (Duncan 167).

Work CitedDuncan, James."Men Without Property:TheTramps Classification and Useof Urban Space." The Urban Sociology Reader. Eds. Lin, Jan, and Christopher Mele. London: Routledge, 2005 (pp.164-172).