Environment and Cities in the 19th/20th Century:

Throughout this week we covered, read, and discussed different aspects of recent cities and urbanization within modern history. Beginning with the Bayly chapter reading for Monday, the first thing we examined was the pressure and strain which the fast-growing human population is placing upon our environment. Human attempts at advancement during this time often led to increased strain and in many cases consequences that we still face today. For example, in a later lecture we discussed how increased amounts of young farmers in Rwanda are having to push up mountainsides in order to have space to farm, and in turn has caused mass flash flooding. Along with this idea, Bayly also examined how a new age of innovation has changed human livelihoods. The availability of healthy food is much more prevalent than ever before, and with this we’ve seen increased life spans and other positive impacts. Next, in our Monday lecture we dove more in depth into the environment and the recent strains placed upon it. The fundamental idea behind this lecture was the fact that human success has drastically altered the environment in mostly negative ways. We also discussed how human have changed from being extremely adaptable to now relying on such a specific environment to survive. I found this entire lecture very interesting, and learning more about the specifics of this transition was quite eye-opening. I found it incredible to really see in front of me how humans have, over history, adapted in harnessing new, more efficient forms of energy while at the same time becoming less adaptable. Finally, Wednesday’s lecture talked more specifically about cities. Migration to cities was key to the rise and advancement behind what we see in our world today. Filled with metropolises, it truly began with the industrial revolution. However, these cities were essentially beta versions of modern day cities. Advancement has allowed cities to go from being highly disorganized, dirty, and overpopulated to being much more efficient and fluid. However, the process wasn’t easy, and throughout the 20th century there were many cities that were very limited in respective ways. For example, traffic flow within a particular city may have been improved drastically, but when trying to get to places on foot people’s safety and efficiency were jeopardized. Overall as urbanization continues to grow in relevance and city areas expand, the human race continues to change and, in turn, has to look to solve each new pressing issue that presents itself.

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