Life in the Emerging Urban Society
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Transcript of Life in the Emerging Urban Society
Life in the Emerging Urban Society
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Industry & the Growth of Cities• Living with the industry– Since the 19th century, urbanization had increased to a
large-scale commerce– Cities were dirty, congested , and unhealthy– Walking was the only transportation available due to the
packed cities• Infectious diseases spread throughout the town, constantly
killing people – It was impossible to improve the living conditions due to
poverty & over population• By 1800, more & more factories were built along
countryside– It facilitated transfer of coal to the other towns
The Rising Population• As industry grew, so did unhealthy, overpopulated cities– A dramatic increase in population occurred in 1801-1891– Wales population went from 1.5 million to 15.6 million by
1891– People worried how this could affect the condition in their
cities as a result of urbanization• People were condensed into houses and building– They were as small as possible in order to accommodate
the over-growing population – Up to 10 people lived in a single room– They lived in unhealthy, unsanitary conditions– The government did little to improve the towns
Public Health & the Bacteria Revolution• Edwin Chadwick was a good Benthamite – a follower of radical
philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)• Chadwick believed that
- Disease and death caused povertyEx. A sick worker was an unemployed worker; an orphaned child was poor child.
- Disease could be prevented by cleaning up the urban environment (sanitary idea)
• He also collected information from local Poor Law officials on the “sanitary conditions of the laboring population” and published his findings in 1842- The widely published evidence proved that disease was related to the filthy
environment conditions which were caused by• Lack of drainage • Sewers
• Chadwick solved that problem with a cheaper method using iron pipes and tile drains to carry off fecal matter (excrement) from communal outhouses
Continued…• In 1848, Chadwick’s reports and studies became the basis of
G.B.’s first public health law– G.B.’s health law created a national health board & gave cities the
authority to build modern sanitary systems• United States, France, and Germany supported the public
health movement from the 1840’s and on- Gov’ts accepted the responsibility for the health of all citizens
• By the 1860’s & 1870’s, European cities made good work at making adequate water supplies and sewer systems- City dwellers (citizens) began to reap the reward of good health
Medical Achievements • Miasmatic Theory of disease was the belief that people contracted
disease when they breathed the bad odors of decay and putrefying excrements.
• In 1840’s & 1850’s doctors and public health officials pinpointed that bad drinking water transmitted disease.– This suggested that contagions were spread through filth which
weakened the miasmatic theory.• Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), a French chemist began studying
fermentation in 1854 at the request of brewers – he later developed pasteurization- the suppression of activity of these
organisms by heating the beverage.• In 1870 Pasteur and other researchers discovered the connection
between germs and disease. • In 1865, Pasteur showed that the air was full of bacteria
Medical Achievements…Continued– English surgeon Joseph Lister(1827-1912) found that his antiseptic
principle worked.• Chemical disinfectant applied to a wound would “destroy the life
of floating particles(germs).” • 1880’s German surgeons developed the practice of sterilizing not
just the wound but hands, instruments, clothes and everything in the operating room.
• Over the years the bacterial revolution achievements doubled w/ the public health movement.
• By 1910 a great silent revolution occurred and death rates dropped dramatically.
Urban Planning and Public Transportation• Prior to 1850, urban planning was practiced very
little– Ex. 1/3 of a city’s 1 million inhabitants would live in a
central city the size of about two New York Central Parks– Few open space, People Lived in close quarters– Cities were highly polluted– Diseases were very common – Public Transportation played a very small role in society
(Most walked)
• The key to improving the quality of urban life was through urban planning
Napoleon III (r. 1848-1850)
• Napoleon III – Wanted to promote welfare of all his subjects through government action– Believed that improving (rebuilding) Paris would increase employment,
improve living conditions, and show off power and glory of his empire– He hires a guy named baron Georges Haussmann to rebuild Paris
• Georges Haussmann (1809-1884) and his team proceeded to improve the city– They constructed neighborhood parks, and open spaces throughout the city– Designed new structures in the sewers, allowing double the amount of fresh
water coming into the city – New streets promoted construction for better housing– Cleared out old buildings for boulevards
• Boulevard: a broad avenue in the city, usually having areas at the sides or center for trees, grass, or flowers– They were designed to prevent easy construction and defense
of barricades by Revolutionary crowds– Allowed traffic to flow freely– Enabled glorious views of the city
• In 20 years, Paris was transformed– It was now the model for Urban Planning for countries around
Europe– Helped spread urbanism all over Europe
Continued…
Public Transportation• Before (1890s)– Most people who had transportation would usually ride a
horse-drawn carriage – usually wealthy• 1890s European countries adopted the electric street car– Electric Street cars were cheaper, faster, and more
dependable• Public Transportation was improved dramatically– By 1910 electric street car systems in four countries were
carrying 6.7billion– Public transportation was being used four times as often as
before