Rise of the City

From Farm to City • Before the Civil War most people lived on farms – 1860 urban population of 6 million • By 1900 most people lived in urban areas – 1910 urban population of 44 million – Industrial Revolution was responsible for urban growth – jobs – New social problems developed • Ethnic rivalry of immigrants • Poor sanitation and health • Food and housing shortages • Pollution from factories

From Farm to City Continued

Allure of the City • Folklore of the city drew in country youth – for whom country life can be frustrating from isolation from “modern” society – Left for work opportunities, adventure and freedom – Entire regions were abandoned • African–Americans – Following the Civil War African American migration flowed to northern cities – In search of work and a better way of life – Cities such as Detroit, New York and Chicago became major destination for migration

Tenements • Tenements – Rented houses or congested apartment buildings found in urban areas – Often slum like conditions, accommodating the cities poor and immigrants – Poor ventilation, poor heating, and lack of sewer lead to bad health – Over crowded – Infectious disease common – Made of wood – fire hazard – Poverty = Crime, dangerous to live

Tenements Continue • By 1900 90% of New York’s residents resided in Tenement housing – 1.6 million people living in 42,700 units

Vertical Expansion • Conventional brick buildings only go five stories up – limit growth • Skyscrapers, which use steel frames, can reach 100 plus stories – limitless growth • The Bessemer Process allowed steel to be made at a cheap and fast rate – allowing rapid construction • Edison's use of electricity provided power for lights and elevators – which allowed buildings to be built higher • Radiators provided heat

Horizontal Expansion • Era of horse and steam – people could not live far from place of employment – time constraint • Electricity and steel allowed people build mass transit – Trolley Systems – Cable Car Systems – Subway Systems • Mass transit allowed large numbers of people to become commuters • Middle and upper class left the cities and moved to edge of cities – AKA Suburbs – poor stayed in city unable to pay fare • Urban sprawl often took place without plan

• New type of government needed to run a city – Central organization to coordinate citywide services • Transportation • Sanitation • Utilities • Taxes • Etc… Politics

Politics Continued • Political Machines – Political parties who controlled all aspects of a city and city life • Often corrupt in nature – Undemocratic and authoritarian – Buying and selling of votes – Kickbacks and payoffs • Ran by party “Bosses” • Engaged in need public services, gained popularity with the population – allowed corruption to exist – Food, heat, clothing, money for poor – Housing and jobs for immigrants – Sponsored sports teams and cultural events

City Environment • Cities in 1900 were generally filthy and disease ridden – Water quality was poor and sewage dumped in the street • Cholera • Typhoid Fever • Yellow Fever – Animals roamed freely • Pigs and horses produced 100’s pounds manure yearly – No trash collection – Factories caused pollution and poor smelly air quality – City rivers became dumps and sewers

City Environment • Sanitary Reformers – Government and civil reformers invested in health reforms – Trash collection – Street Cars – Screws and clean water systems – Manure collected and sent to farms outside city