Diversity: Natural after all?

Chapter 7: the generators of diversity


I am not sure I'm quickly sold on Jane's intro: "Diversity is natural to big cities" (143). Only six pages later she points out how the Bronx itself is the perfect example that just because a population is large and urban, doesn't guarantee its diversity; rather, this borough of NYC proves to be much more homogeneous in its loyal residents, resulting in a lack of economic choice and "urban vitality" (one of Jane's several vague phrases that she gets away with just cause she's so cool--maybe that's the difference between academic and theoretical sociology...not that the latter is any less academic, but the prose is so relaxed it just seems too fun to be legitimately academic). I'd like to add that diversity seems like the very last thing to be natural. I remember how the college I attended my freshman year, DU, tried (unsuccessfully) to "enforce" diversity by holding fishbowl discussions, where the facilitators aimed at raising consciousness about race and getting more voices flowing on the topic. Well, let's just say that that goal was a programmatic impossibility with a campus that seemed to have about 95% white students. So in that case, diversity was fought for and yearned for, but alas, couldn't be magically evoked.

I think Jane's point in this short chapter is to argue that diversity and choice in a city setting aren't accidental things, nor do they promote chaos. Rather, diversity must be cultivated, and it will sustain the city's vitality. She supplies for conditions for generating the big D: 1- the outdoors must support people with different schedules and uses. 2-blocks ought to be short as much as possible. 3-building quality and condition must be mingled. 4- people should never occupy one space too densely, for any reason. It turns out diversity won't be easy to come by by her standards, as all four must be present and work in combination to bring out a city's potentialities.