The paradigm shift in urban sociology

Three discussions recently published by mainstreamers arguing the virtues of the more orthodox ecological perspective are answered by systematically evaluating two distinct theoretical paradigms that oppose each other, namely, urban ecology and the new urban sociology. Three points of contrast are used to demonstrate the explanatory superiority of the new urban theory that better helps us understand central city change, suburbanization, and the shift to the Sunbelt. We address the comparative lack of representation among “new” urbanists and attempt to encourage a maturation of the new field by defining the contours and central questions of a critical urban sociological perspective.