Quote:
Originally Posted by rousseau
I'm not promoting one thing or the other. I personally think higher densities are better for lots of reasons. But the idea that greater population densities and ethnic differences in cities are "better for democracy" is so patently, obviously untrue that only the most blinkered ideologue would say such a thing.
There is zero evidence that population densities or ethnic diversity have any positive effect whatsoever on the health of a democracy. This is just wishful thinking. For every anecdotal story of different social classes and cultures living in close proximity producing "better democracy," or more tolerant people, there is an equal and opposite story of how it does precisely the opposite.
What the professor said is just a polite piety with no connection to reality. There is actually a lot more obvious anecdotal evidence to suggest that the negative effects on social cohesion and democracy increase as stratification/differences in social class and ethnic cultures increase.
The people moving into downtown Winnipeg are probably more likely to be self-selecting liberal types who are more sympathetic to First Nations issues. For example, I know that the "People's Republic" of Wolseley is supposed to be the granola-crunching lefty capital of Winnipeg, but when I lived there the neighbours around me consisted of just as many or more of the "old stock" who freely said nasty or impatient things about natives as there were Birkenstock-shod enlightened people ready to listen to the concerns of Winnipeg's underclass.
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I agree with you.
Without being too harsh, the comments made by that professor are sophomoric and superficial.
They reflect a latter 20th century US-based view of urban demographics, when there was a great isolationist trend by the mostly white middle and upper classes. It wasn't just residential and educational segregation. There was to a large degree recreational, employment and social segregation.
However, even in the US itself, this view of things is increasingly and outdated one.
In many of the larger US cities like New York, SF, etc., the central parts of the cities are increasingly white and upper class, and the inner and even outer suburbs are more and more diverse.
Toronto for example is kind of like this as well, and the inner city (the "old" City of Toronto, without Scarborough, North York, etc.) in terms of residents can seem quite a bit whiter than outer, more suburban-style areas in both the 416 and even Mississauga, Brampton, Markham, etc.