The New Urban Sociology Meets the Old

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Abstract
A basic paradigm shift in urban sociology has occurred: The new urban sociology has challenged and largely supplanted human ecology. The common perception that the two approaches are totally antithetical and incompatible has created a crisis in urban sociology. The author reevaluates some earlier ecological writings in light of the basic assumptions of the new urban sociology. Roderick McKenzie's often ignored writings show a striking affinity to tenets of the new urban sociology; Amos Hawley's abstract conceptual framework provides opportunity for theoretical bridge building. Urban ecologists' claims are challenged by their own intellectual ancestors, and areas of conceptual continuity and overlap should lead to more dialogue and less theoretical polarization.