Paleotechnic Paradise: Coketown

Paleotechnic Paradise: Coketown, by Lewis Mumford, is a chapter that focuses on the rapid and careless change of industrial towns, agriculture, the process of mining, population growth, living conditions, and "the main elements in the new urban complex" (458).

In the 19th century, industrialism was the main creative force. There was almost an obsession for instant power, luxury, and the creation of a better future. The rush of transforming urban towns into factory producing cities was the root to many of the problems during this time period. Because of the growing areas and bigger cities, there was a rapid population increase. As urbanization increased, industrialization increased as well.

During this time, the process of mining was not looked at in a positive way. It was described as “destructive, disorganized, and inorganic” (450). It was given the meaning Abbau, also known as, un-building. On the other hand, agriculture was illustrated as, “creat[ing] a balance between wild nature and man’s social needs” (450).

As the industries continued to develop, the population maintained, but living conditions progressively got worse. Since factories were built near large bodies of water, they became dumping grounds for different forms of waste. Because of this, there was damaging of food and aquatic life. The living quarters that were nearby were also depressing and not very impressive in the new industrial towns. Things got worse before they got better, but eventually the slums slowly improved their water situation and things began to progress more positively.

Do you ever wonder if we will ever experience a time period where our living conditions and environments become extremely hazardous to our health like they did in the 19th century? Or based on their fast-paced advancements in technology, how different do you think our living conditions will be in another 50 years?