Renewable Social Energy: Mahalla

Abstract

This chapter discusses population issues in Uzbekistan as regards current trends in urban social organization. The majority of the population is young and confronted with challenging problems both global and local in nature. Uzbekistan is also experiencing a demographic shift as changes in the national economy prompt people to move to urban areas from the countryside. This shifts the numbers and sizes of cities, but also places new demands on natural resources like water. Uzbekistan's geography has advantages and limitations for urban sprawl. Its culture offers a major advantage described in the author's original research: a form of spatial and social organization for civil society found in Uzbek cities. Problems of urbanization can be addressed through this feature in Uzbek society called the mahalla. Mahalla promote stability and continuity within a community and a means whereby common interests can be represented outside the community. This chapter investigates the contributing factors to that stability and mahalla's ability to handle the dynamics of rural to urban migration.

Citation

Gulyamova, L. (2012), "Renewable Social Energy: Mahalla", Edelstein, M.R., Cerny, A. and Gadaev, A. (Ed.) Disaster by Design: The Aral Sea and its Lessons for Sustainability (Research in Social Problems and Public Policy, Vol. 20), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 335-348. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0196-1152(2012)0000020034