race riots,air pollution,flithy rivers and inadequate public transportation are not 20 century inventions.
Charles visited small towns and delve into historical society records,local newspapers and the memoirs of old community leader to show that city government face 100 years ago as they do now.Pollution was a very important problem particularly with regard to the water supply in the 19 century,Adrian notes,city government were handicapped because they did know how how disease were spread.They know some disease were communicable but it wasn't until the 1890's that the germ theory was developed.
Those of us who complain about automobile's poisonous fumes tend to forget about the pollution that was caused by horses created.The horses wouldn't coorperate.
Public-planning agencies did not exist until the 20 century,and land developers built town after town without living space for greenery. Thomas designed a couple of towns using a checker-board approach with alternate squares vacant and developed land.In Jeffersonvile,Indiana,which was one of his models,there has never been demand for building houses.