The Growing Pains of Urbanization 1870-1900 - City Beautiful

ASU HST 200 (Historical Themes) The Growing Pains of Urbanization, 1870-1900 City Beautiful Urban sprawl was a terrible reality for all city inhabitants at the period, albeit the rich elite tried to escape it and the working poor went through its harshest effects. The sky was full of skyscrapers, the streets were clogged with all kinds of people, and the few green areas that remained in the city vanished swiftly as developers tried to satisfy the ever-increasing demand for space. As the century came to an end and the population of the United States began to concentrate more and more in urban areas, concerns about the quality of urban life—especially in relation to issues of poverty, crime, and aesthetics—became a pressing concern for many reformers. The lower classes of working people who lived in filth and unhygienic circumstances were forced to leave for the suburbs, leaving behind the middle-class and wealthy urbanites who enjoyed the more expensive facilities offered by city life, such as theaters, restaurants, and shopping. Leaders like Frederick Law Olmsted and Daniel Burnham aimed to promote middle-class and upper-class progressive changes through the City Beautiful movement. In addition to enhancing the standard of living for city inhabitants, they fostered middle-class urban areas where Americans of many racial backgrounds, ethnicities, and socioeconomic classes resided and worked. Burnham collaborated with Olmsted, one of the pioneers and most significant designers of urban green spaces and the man behind Central Park in New York, to present the concept of the City Beautiful movement at the 1893 Columbian Exposition. There, they contributed to the planning and construction of the "White City," so called because of the plaster of Paris used to create a number of buildings that were later painted a brilliant white. The city's landscape and architecture were superb examples of masterful city planning. Beginning in 1901 with the modernization of Washington, DC, the "White City" set the stage for American urban city planning for the following generation with its wide-open green spaces, brightly painted white buildings, connected modern transportation services, and appropriate sanitation. This model encouraged city planners to consider three main tenets: first, create larger park areas inside cities; second, build wider boulevards to decrease traffic congestion and allow for lines of trees and other greenery between lanes; and third, add more suburbs in order to mitigate congested living in the city itself. The community Beautiful movement became a pillar of urban development far into the twentieth century as each community adopted these ideas in its own unique way. American cities saw tremendous difficulties and changes between 1870 and 1900, characterized by a sharp increase in urbanization and the emergence of the "City Beautiful" movement. Urban sprawl became an unavoidable reality for everyone living in cities, with the working poor suffering the most from its impacts while the rich elite sought sanctuary from its effects. Developers responded to the growing demand for property by dotting the skyline with skyscrapers, packing the streets with a broad array of people, and quickly reducing the amount of open space. The nation's population was becoming more and more concentrated in urban areas as the century came to an end, and reformers' concerns about the standard of urban living—particularly with regard to poverty, crime, and aesthetics—grew. The wealthy and middle-class urbanites took use of the city's attractions, such as theaters, restaurants, and shopping centers, while the working classes lived in filthy and unhygienic circumstances, which led many of them to escape to the suburbs in pursuit of cleaner lives. Leaders such as Frederick Law Olmsted and Daniel Burnham led the City Beautiful movement in reaction to these issues, seeking to advance progressive reforms that would improve middle-class and upper-class urban living. Known for creating New York's Central Park, Olmsted teamed up with Burnham to present the City Beautiful idea at the 1893 Columbian Exposition. Their dream came true with the creation of the "White City," so called because of its immaculate white structures made of Parisian plaster. This architectural wonder served as a prototype for later urban development and demonstrated careful city planning. Commencing with the 1901 makeover of Washington, DC, the "White City" established new benchmarks with its vast green areas, broad boulevards, effective transit networks, and enhanced cleanliness. Three main ideas were promoted by the City Beautiful movement: the development of expansive parks inside cities, wide boulevards to ease traffic jams and include vegetation, and the growth of suburbs to relieve urban center congestion. As towns all around the country adopted its tenets in their own distinctive ways, this strategy transformed urban planning and established a cornerstone of city development far into the twentieth century. The movement had an influence on inhabitants' sense of community and civic pride in addition to the physical infrastructure. City Beautiful programs prioritized aesthetics and public places in an effort to improve everyone's urban experience, regardless of race or financial status. Cities sought to create surroundings that were not only practical but also visually beautiful and supportive of a better standard of living via meticulous planning and design. In conclusion, the late nineteenth-century urbanization problems gave rise to the City Beautiful movement, which provided a vision for more livable, just, and aesthetically beautiful cities. Its impact persisted throughout the 20th century, reshaping urban environments and influencing national urban planning strategies.