How a pandemic 200 years ago changed the architecture of New York

In the summer of 1832, a cholera epidemic hit New York. The disease entered the United States from Asia through Europe and claimed the lives of 3 city residents (with such a mortality rate in modern New York equal to 515 thousand). 118 years later, the second wave claimed the lives of almost 17 thousand more, increasing the number of victims to 2 5. How the cholera outbreak affected the architecture of New York, said the publication City4People.

Ongoing outbreaks of cholera in the XNUMXth century greatly influenced the development of cities - boulevards became wider, and more parks appeared in cities. In approximately this form, New York and other major cities have survived to this day.

Polluted air

The cities of the XNUMXth century were dirty places full of people - such conditions are ideal for the spread of diseases like cholera.

Waste, garbage and animal droppings flowed in a free flow to the sources of drinking water. Many doctors blamed this caustic "cocktail" for the spread of diseases.

The public health authorities then adhered to the medieval ideas that the causes of infectious diseases are poisonous fumes (miasma) arising from the decay of organic waste. Proponents of this theory called for better ventilation, fighting sewage and ensuring hygiene so that cities get rid of harmful odors.

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When a cholera epidemic broke out in New York City, the city authorities expelled 20 pigs from the city center and built a 66-kilometer aqueduct system to bring clean drinking water from the north of the city.

Sarah Jensen Carr, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Urban Studies at Northeastern University, believes that “the fear of miasms following the cholera and yellow fever epidemics has greatly influenced urban development.

First of all, it significantly changed the infrastructure of the city, for example, the creation of underground sewage systems, and it was convenient to lay them along straight streets. This made it possible in the evenings to wash off the accumulated dirt so that the heaps of garbage did not emit poisonous gases. The swampy areas were covered, which made it possible to further develop industry and build new areas.

Carr is the author of The Topography of Wellbeing: Health and the American Urban Landscape. According to her, the street grid came to us from Ancient Rome and became especially popular after infrastructural changes in response to the pandemic. Long, straight avenues eliminated the possibility of stinking water accumulation and greatly simplified the installation of sewer and water pipes.

Central Park and other Olmsted plans receive support

One of the proponents of the miasma theory was the landscape architect Frederic Lo Olmsted. He also held on to the theory that parks and nature would "heal" big cities. He considered them the lungs of the city - "absorbing harmful air and producing clean".

According to Carr, “his articles frequently referred to the importance of large open spaces for citizens to access fresh air and sunlight. He thought that the air can be disinfected by sunlight and greenery. "

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Olmsted Central Park began work with Calvert Vox almost immediately after the second cholera outbreak in New York City. Thanks to the success of the project, Olmsted continued to engage in landscaping and created over 100 more parks and squares.

Central Park has become for New York literally an oasis of nature in the middle of the metropolis. It turned out to be in the English style for a reason: in those years it was popular, and Calvert Vox himself was an Englishman.

The emergence of this park in the center of Manhattan suggested itself - both because of cholera, and simply because of the lack of space for people where you could just walk and take a break from the city, whose population in the XNUMXth century, despite the epidemic, grew significantly. However, at first this place was popular only with the wealthy living nearby - and only from the beginning of the XNUMXth century, the park began to become a place where all the townspeople came, including all arriving immigrants.