The City Beautiful Movement

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What we know today as The City Beautiful Movement originated back in 1893 at the Worlds’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Which was originally a 400th year anniversary of the landing of one Christopher Columbus in America. The exposition was held from May 1, 1893 until October 30th, 1893. They layout of the exposition itself was designed by Daniel Burnham and Frederick Law Olmsted. Burnham was an American born architect and urban designer.Olmsted was a landscape architect. Journalist, and public administrator. The exposition was to them a layout of what they believed a city's should be. Artist and musicians were all featured in the exhibits which covered more than 600 acres. More then 27 million people attended the exposition form over 44 …show more content…

During the peak of the industrial revolution, with all the new technological advances little to no attention was paid to the visual elements of urban cites. Smoke billowed from factories, dirt sooted the buildings, and the streets were merely symbols of progress. Many problems arose in cities as a result of the industrial revolution . The tenement houses of the time were a substandard multi family dwelling. Usually old and occupied by the poor. With poor sanitation, air and sewage system all contributed to the problems of urban living. These neighborhoods were not only extremely crowded but also dangerous. According to Riis Jr, (1970) “Bodies of young children show up on the rivers, who no one seems to know anything about.” These tenements became a prime location for crime and the alleys became extremely dangerous. The influx of immigrants filled these tenements as many traveled to the United States for work. City planners quickly designed these structures to house them. Cramming entire families into one room apartments and sharing a single bathroom with other families on the floor. These living conditions were described as disgusting and vile and what city Beautiful planners would eventually plan to eliminate.The city Beautiful movement emerged at a time in United States history when the country's urban population …show more content…

After Graduating from Harvard in 1894 Frederick became a landscaper Architect for the Boston Metropolitan park commission. Where he served from 1898 to 1920. His active involvement with urban planing began when he was appointed as on of the four members of the senate park commissions. During the First World War Frederick was the manager of town planning in the U.S housing corporation. Than form 1926 to 1932 he became a member of the national capital park and planning commission. When the American city planing institute in 1917 was formed they elected Olmsted as their first president. Olmsted was also a member of the advisory committee on city planning and

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