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Gilded Age Urbanization

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The three most important factors in the changing structure of the American city during the Gilded Age were changes in transportation, mass production methods, and urbanization. It simply wasn’t possible for large numbers of people to live in cities before the creation of the railroad, trolley, streetcar, or other method of public transportation. It was not possible to build skyscrapers until late in the 19th century so developers were limited by how high they could build. Most cities could feasibly only be a few miles long as the main method of transportation was walking. People had to be able to walk from their home to their place of within a half hour which restricted city sizes. That changed with the creation of the railroad and subsequently smaller methods of public transportation such as the trolley. People could live further from their place of work and the rush to the suburbs …show more content…
Public transportation allowed for ample space for the masses to live and work. As more and more people came, housing, health, and public safety became key concerns. In order to alleviate the cramped conditions of tenements, housing codes were established. The availability of clean water and sewage also became a necessity as well as laws against dumping into rivers and streams. Telephones wires and other public utilities became commonplace. The presence of large amounts of people created the need for social reform foundations that attempted to ease the burden of poverty on the working classes. Urbanization led to reform movements which led to the passing of legislation regulating working conditions in industry. The rise of the city would not have been possible without the use of mass production that created the need for a large, centrally located workforce. In addition, that workforce could not be centrally located without the advent of the

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