Transformation of European Cities

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Recommended: Effects of the second industrial revolution

Basic city structure in Europe towards the end of the nineteenth century was heavily influenced by the “second Industrial Revolution”(also known as the Technological Revolution), which brought along new materials, sources of energy, and goods for trading. Newly constructed factories and demand for industrial jobs led to mass urbanization. Many rural people flowed towards urban areas to find work. The creation of new industrial jobs contributed to a rising middle class, and the growing populations of economically powerful cities such as London and Paris encouraged the swapping of new ideas and scientific study.
One of the major effects of the Technological Revolution was the increased production of steel among the four European powers(Russia, France, Germany, and Britain). In 1911, for example, Russia was outputting nearly 600 times the amount of steel than they had in 1871. This surge in production was mainly caused by British metallurgist Henry Bessemer's method for obtaining the desired amount of carbon in the steel. The use of these Bessemer blast furnaces was widely adopted by industrial countries that needed to construct railroads, heavy artillery, and warships. Steel eventually replaced iron as the main metal used in housing, because it was stronger,cheaper to produce, and less corrosive. This allowed for more durable buildings, giving architects more freedom to design. (Hause, Maltby 756)
Massive amounts of iron and steel were required for a project that helped shape the future of London in 1863: The London Underground. First proposed as a radical solution to crowded London streets and long commute times, the Underground was viewed as “an insult to common sense” by the London Times. However, it proved to be an effective...

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...ed places to practice their craft, such as concert halls, opera halls, and theaters.
With such industrialization and the grit and grime of the city life, city planners decided that more “green space” was needed in the most centralized locations. This included small parks, ornate flower gardens, planting of trees, and lush vegetation. These areas of supposed relaxation and tranquility were highly controlled, though, and were illusions of the rural lifestyle, designed to distract citizens from dirty life and allow them to practice good manners and remain solitary.
The Church and clergy were not well fit and did not adjust to the rising population. The middle classes and bourgeoisie were the people who had the highest church attendance. In Manchester in 1851, 34 percent of church goers attended the Anglican Church, and 42 percent went the the Nonconformist chapels.

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