Europe and North America’s Modern Cities and Industrialization
Industrialization as a phenomenon is associated with the active development of production, which entails an increase in the proportion of the population living nearby in the city limits. It corresponds to the principles of urbanization and affects the appearance of cities. First of all, more factories and related buildings appear in cities: workshops and warehouses. In addition, simple housing for workers is actively built, leading to the formation of slums. At the same time, the city center is actively developing, which becomes a concentration of business, reflecting the wealth of the upper class of society. In addition, many recreational sites such as New York City’s Central Park have emerged as legacies from the industrialization era (Fainstein, 2021). Thus, industrialization and urbanization led to the formation of either large factory districts or key architectural objects, which became possible with the development of the economy.
International Fairs
The purpose of such fairs, both earlier, national and later, was to demonstrate new achievements in various fields – including technology. Since the beginning of the 19th century coincided with industrialization in France, it was in this country that exhibitions of industrial goods began (Findling, 2018). The purpose of these events was to help French entrepreneurs compete with British ones on the international market. Thus, the first fairs were organized to compare products from different countries and promote favorites. The same policy was used in Britain’s Great Exhibition, in which goods from Britain were advertised to the international public. Later, this concept was developed, and the fairs became the center of scientific and technological discoveries from representatives of various countries. Investing in such events allowed states to show their achievements, attract new investors, create effective collaborations, and lay the foundation for future cooperation.
Simmel’s Money Economy
According to Simmel, the monetary economy is based on creating a single metric of the value of various goods, which allows them to be compared and evaluated, in contrast to the era when the primary medium of exchange was barter. However, with the emergence of such a unified system, attention to the uniqueness and value of some objects and concepts is somewhat lost. To devise ways to protect against this, Simmel turns to history, in particular, to the society of Athens. First of all, it is necessary to pay enough attention to the emotional, high-quality communication component. In addition, the individual must protect his inner circle from the dominance of the monetary economy, which can force a person to evaluate meetings only from an objective point of view. Finally, it is necessary to use such an economy’s freedom to realize the set goals.
Postwar Suburbanization of the United States
The first factor that led to massive suburbanization is the challenging situation with a shortage of houses in the post-war period. Because of this, the era of real estate development began, which was supported by government programs. Secondly, many production facilities moved to suburbs, which, on the one hand, led to a shortage of jobs in cities, but on the other hand, allowed suburban areas to develop and expand actively. Together with them, many different business activists also moved, which allowed people to comfortably stay in this territory, providing everything they needed. Finally, the third factor contributing to the development of suburbanization is the shift in the cultural balance of prestige towards these areas. That being said, unwanted groups of people such as Hispanics and African Americans were virtually unable to find housing in these new homes, forming privileged, wealthy neighborhoods.
References
Fainstein, S. (2021). Urban planning. Encyclopædia Britannica. Web.
Findling, J. (2018). World’s fair. Encyclopædia Britannica. Web.