Problems Faced By The New Industrial City

Life in the city is often chaotic and fast-paced. It is as quick as a television dinner. Often, people are forgetting the art of appreciation. Things go unnoticed like a pebble under a shoe, like sparkling windows on corporate buildings. Now, people are typically giving more time to their technological devices- which is not necessarily a terrible thing. If anything, it speaks more of an imbalance. There is a wider disconnect in every day social interactions (communications) and public spaces (location). It has been noted by a creator of public spaces, Goldberger, that people are “there but not there”. They have closed themselves off from experiencing what is right in front of them. For example, the average adult spends seven hours on a technological

Urban history, as a tool, has drastically changed our understanding of cities over the centuries. ‘Urban histories possessed an explanatory power far above the intricate workings of one city; providing larger narratives centered on industrialization or other macro-economic developments’.

The industrial revolution led to massive and sudden changes to the way people lived and worked. From the 1750’s onwards, large parts of the population moved from the rural regions in search of work in the growing cities. Traditional jobs, such as farm work, declined and was increasingly replaced by dangerous jobs in factories and mines. The growing population in the cities created a crowded and polluted environment. For many people living and working in these industrial cities was a harsh and dangerous existence.

During the industrial revolution people flocked to cities to get work. In the 1750s, only 15 per cent of the population of Great Britain lived in towns and cities. By 1880 to 80 per cent of people lived in towns and cities. Urbanisation was caused by changes in agricultural practices and the new jobs in the factory which were in towns and cities. Between 1801 and 1871, the proportion of the British population working in manufacturing rose from 40 per cent to 66 per cent. The new middle classes often established their homes on the outskirts of the new towns and cities, at the farther end of the new rail lines. The majority of the unskilled workers lived closer to the factories, in slum areas with poor sanitation. (Source 3) this was illustrated

Paul Goldberger, an American architectural critic once quoted, “Urbanism works when it creates the journey as desirable as the destination.”

When we speak of the term urbanization – the outward expansion of human population from the city-centre, many feel the sense of triumph about the current living conditions, and are enlightened to do great works on the planet. Of course, it is not wrong if one feels this sense of triumph at first, but the ambiguity comes when the environmental aspect is placed in the talk. In this capitalistic world where money and status are worshiped, many negative effects associated with urbanization are being forgotten or dismissed.

The Industrial Revolution not only changed business and economics, but urban lifestyle. The changes occurring were mostly negative, however, and constructed a need for reform. These were times where the product and consumer demand drove business, not socialist working reforms This is all best seen in Manchester where worker’s living conditions deteriorated to improve the business until they were initially met with meager reform, all while the city kept expanding to accomodate. The worker’s living conditions largely deteriorated as Manchester was forced to expand.

Urbanization and Industrialization brought millions of people to growing cities, these growing cities were ill equipped to deal with growing population rate. While some might argue that Industrialization had primarily positive consequences for society because of a surplus of job opportunities, faster production, and more amenities, it was actually a negative thing for society. Industrialization’s negative effects were angersome working conditions, poor quality of life, and child labor.

The Industrial Revolution had millions of people migrating to the city. Some moved from a town in hope of finding work while others moved from one country to another in a search for better lives. Although, a small percentage of people were forced as a punishment of crime.

At the turn of the century the rise of the urban city began to take shape. The “New Metropolis” of industrial cities in America began to produce many innovations and creations both terrible and wonderful at the same time. With the advent of steam power replacing water power the scale of the amount of goods and materials produced vastly increased. The increase of products drew men and women away from farming communities and poor countries around the world into the blooming cities.

Recently, urbanization has become the newest form of progress. However, it seems that urbanization has created some unforeseen problems. Bocquier suggests “economic uncertainties that prevail in most urban settings lead to a deterioration of living conditions…this deterioration particularly affects the urban poor” (pg. 1). As society began to change and progress at such a quick pace, many people have been left behind and have had to adapt to survive to their new environments.

The Industrial Revolution was a period of time from around 1780-1850, which was led by Britain. Manufactures and businesses grew including the number of laborers. This even including the popularization of child labor, especially in coal mines and factories. This was a very successful period of time for factory owners, and the very opposite for laborers.

The Industrial Revolution in the year 1762 around 1840 impacted the way of production, increased population and changed views of civil rights (the right to vote, free speech, fair and equal treatment, etc.,). Reform movements and urbanization were one of the most important changes in the industrial time frame. These changes were a major turning point US history.

A sustainable city is when harmony is reached between the environment, economy and society. Environmentally, sustainable cities are ecologically friendly by using alternative sources of energy such as solar or wind power. Economically, governments should share a similar decision-making process with institutions and with the public by having a common belief in what should be done by improving sustainability. Sorensen, Marcotullio, and Grant (2004), find that a good decision making process consists of planning and control at the municipal and national political levels which would allow local level functions to become reinforced. Socially, sustainable cities are classless, meaning that there are no social divisions which serve as limits; leading to a more equal society. One of the many ideas would be using mixed housing to remove the class divisions between people. Also, city streets would be walkable, with businesses and services located at close proximity to promote a healthier lifestyle and serve as an alternative to using cars for transportation. The writers differ in their analysis when examining the approaches to improving sustainability in cities. This section will analyze four important ideas on how cities can become more sustainable.

The process of people moving into cities, which is called urbanisation, was happening around the world in past decades. It causes cities to have more labourers and resources than before. This makes a big contribution to the social development of cities. Thanks to these social developments, public services are becoming better in these areas. Citizens can enjoy a better life by access these public services such as better medical care, more education resources and well-built transport. It means an equitable society can be created. An equitable society means citizens can have more opportunities to access social resources and to live a better life. This essay will argue that