Urbanization in the 19th Century

Urbanization, like industrialization, drastically transformed Western society. New technologies associated with industrialization caused economic activity to concentrate in urban centres. With industrialization came modern cities. The urban population has grown steadily since the start of the industrial era.

However, the rising population and the number of factories weren’t the only changes that took place in the cities. The rapidly changing cities forced authorities to think differently as they planned city development. This was the start of urban planning. The authorities had to manage hygiene, transport routes, public transportation, quality of life and population density. These were just some of the challenges that modern cities like London, Paris and New York had to take on.

In the 19^th century, the United Kingdom had the highest urbanization rate. Not all countries have the same rate of urbanization. Generally speaking, the rate of urbanization is similar to the rate of industrialization.

Populations were growing rapidly in 19^th century Europe and North America. The main cause for this natural increase was better farming techniques.

This is what happened in industrialized countries during the 19^th century. Farming required less labour, and craft work done in rural areas was gradually being replaced by factory work in urban areas. This caused peasants to leave the countryside in large numbers to find work in the city.
 
New forms of transportation, such as the train, made rural areas less isolated. It was easier for people to get to the city. Cities offered many opportunities and resources so people decided to stay.

The rural exodus wasn’t as simple as it appears. Newcomers to the city often had trouble finding housing. Too many people were rushing to move to industrial cities, which led to a housing shortage. Available housing was also very expensive. This is why urban areas quickly spread outwards, creating suburbs. Residents of the suburbs depended on the city for supplies and work.

Lack of housing wasn’t the only problem. The cities weren’t set up to accommodate so many people. There were numerous sanitation issues, including homes without running water, electricity, heating or ventilation. Often, cities had no water or sewage systems. In addition to unsanitary conditions, there were other organizational problems, including an outdated and insufficiently dense city centre, non-existent or inefficient public transportation and streets that were unsuitable for traffic.

City leaders had to find solutions to all of these problems. These solutions were originally meant to change cities and urban planning. Accordingly, several cities made efforts to transform. Over the years, urban planning focused more on controlling the city’s development and organizing the city’s growth.

Even today’s major cities face similar problems with water supply, transportation and travel, housing, etc.