Chapter 51: Making the Modern City

The Industrial Revolutions

In the mid-19th Century, cities across the industrializing world began to modernize. New infrastructure was added, new layouts of streets and city resources were devised, and greater emphasis was placed on improving the quality of life for all people.
Topics covered in this episode include: Edwin Chadwick’s efforts to modernize Britain’s sewers; Ellis Chesbrough and the construction of Chicago’s sewer system; the underground London Metropolitan Railway; new street layouts in the Age of Enlightenment; Georges-Eugène Haussmann and the renovations of Paris; Ildefons Cerdà and the expansion of Barcelona; model villages like Saltaire; and the life and works of Frederick Law Olmsted.