American Urbanization &

New York City

Devin KoppelHistory 141 Online

Cosmopolis: The Land of Ambition and Success

Post-War, New York had moved to a position to where it could challenge other major cities across the globe as the cultural and economic leaderRising into a seemingly limitless future, New York followed the dreams of capitalismThe rise of consumer culture and the creation of new mass-media industries fueled the rapidly growing societyThe 1920's marked a time in which mass media began to flourish and the creation of advertising and marketing led to modern American consumerismThe success of the city included a wide array of performing arts, literature, music, and pop cultureThe arts became a way for people of different races and backgrounds to come together and enjoy the entertainmentThis new lifestyle was very controversial to the more traditional people of the timeNew York was the leader of the time in the creation of music and pop culture before the creation of Hollywood

Cosmopolis:Fear and Recession

The Red Scare (1919-1920): A crisis following World War I as threats of political violence and social agitation aggravated national, social, and political tensions.

The Great Depression:For a few years, the stock market had risen phenomenally during the economic boomBy the end of the 20's, the economy had hit a stand still during a time of paper speculation, which fueled a surge of real estate and a raise in stock pricesExpanding businesses in New York were running on a culture of pure speculationWall street bankers began lending money to investors to buy stock on credit because of estimations of steady increases in consumptionMore money was out on loan (over 8.5 billion dollars) than was actually circulating through the entire American EconomyDespite the speculation of growth, the economy was taking a turn for the worseInvestors began to grow uneasy, and the warning of a crash sent fear through the economic communityOn Wednesday, October 23rd 1929 – the prices took a downturn that began a panicStock prices dropped significantly over night and the crisis ensuedHorror, grief, and stunned disbelief shocked the crowds of investors hoping for a miracleDuring the first week alone, over 30 billion dollars had been lost from the economySuddenly, the dreams and aspirations of wealthy New Yorkers had been lost

Cosmopolis:“The Sky is the Limit”

In the spring of 1929, Walter Chrysler led the “race into the sky” with a plan and instructions for construction of the tallest sky scraper in the world – The Chrystler BuildingWhen construction began on September 19, 1928, there also began an intense competition in New York City to build the world's tallest skyscraperFor a short period of time, the building triumphed as the tallest building in the world, unfortunately the completion of the building collided with the stock market crash of 1929The construction of the Empire State Building stood as a symbol of hope in the darkest of timesThe building was an incredible display of engineering and workmanship in the midst of the depression in the winter of 1930It provided employment and renewed ambition Taller than the Chrysler building, t stood as the world's tallest building for 40 years, from its completion in 1931

The City of Tomorrow:Effects of the Great Depression

Following the terrible events of the 1920's, New York once again had to find a way to rebuild its economy – much like the building of the massive skyscrapers of the time – from the ground upThe Great Depression was not due entirely in part to the stock crash of 1929, but it is impossible for people not to connect the eventsThe hardships presented were not only economic, but also was a terrible psychological shock,clinical depression, misery, and disbeliefDuring the depression, nearly a third of the nations work force were unemployedHuge numbers of people were laid off, and industry after industry began to implodeThe effects of this were most visible in New YorkAt the time, there were no government programs or aids in place to support the public in such a situationPeople were losing more than just jobs, but homes, a means to buy food, and hopeEven the magnificent Empire State Building was forced to charge visitors $1 in order to pay their taxesWomen and children were forced to search mounds of garbage for food while men waited in large lines to receive charitable food from soup kitchensShanty towns known as “Hoovervilles” sprang up around the cityThe governments lack of support led to protests and strikes

The City of Tomorrow:The Beacon of Hope that is La Guardia

During the most volatile times of the fiscal and economic state of New York city, Mayor La Guardia brought hope to a disenchanted populationHe was a physical representation of the diversity of New York CityA distinctive and animated man, he showed his emotions as well as his ability, and he loved to take advantage of the popularity of media at the time and often made public displays of his steps toward transformationIn a matter of weeks, he began to dismantle the corruption that had been set in the city and began to build a system based on meritHis plan involved replacing corrupt politicians with honest and productive peopleDuring his first year, he brought the first airport to New York CityHe succeeded in defeating a corrupt Democratic machine and transforming the city into a model fo reformation of society

The City of Tomorrow:The New Deal

The New Deal:A series of economic programs put in place in the US between 1933 and 193 during the first term of President Franklin D. RooseveltThe changes made by the New Deal provided billions of dollars in aid from Washington, improving many aspects of human lifeWith the new supply of funding, socially useful structures were able to be build; such as highways health centers, schools, colleges, air ports, and moreThere was support for unemployment, health, and social security, public housing, labor reform, and large scale public works that were at the center of La Guardia's vision for public progressThese programs transformed the relationship between citizens and governmentThe public works projects expanded across the countryAlthough the full effects would not be seen for decades, the reform greatly empowered Americans across the nation

A Merger That Puts New York on Top

The key to the success of New York was the leaders' ability to develop strategies that put New York's advantages to full use to ensure a powerful position in the economyNew York has benefited greatly from its ability to capture the economic gains of other various regions and their developmentsThe building on the Erie Canal put New York in control of U.S exports to EuropeThe establishment of “triangle trade” allowed the city control over the cotton tradeThese things, along with the innovations of electricity, the telephone, radio, and television allowed the city to reap incredible benefits through the creation of America's first great technology companiesAlthough the advantages of technology brought New York to power in the 19th century, further developments caused a loss of that power in the 20th centuryHowever, the struggle between East and West will always be a matter of control, and perhaps it will be the power of capturing control that will allow New York to emerge as the “capital of the next American century”.

The City in the Land of the DollarIn the early development of the urban American cities, there was initially a struggle between the “city beautiful” and the “city profitable”

City planners pushed for American cities to be built in the image of the beautiful European capitals, and the struggle is a classic example of the clash between old and new world

Civic beautifiers did not win the battle, because the reality of the new age American cities shows a push towards skyscrapers, highways, and streets

Although they did not win, these early twentieth century reformers left behind traces of beauty that to this day inspire people to rise above the hectic pace of modern life

“There is no mistaking London for Los Angeles”

American cities were pioneers in the creation of commercial districts, separating business and housingCreated the concept of a “downtown” where people could work, shop, and enjoy activities and nightlifeResidential areas were formed around the outskirts of the city, and the housing within the cities eventually became apartments to accommodate a growing populationUrban areas and rural areas combined in some cases, creating the suburbs we have todayChicago was the fasting growing city of its time, and this is where the skyscraper was developedThe development of elevators and skyscrapers changed the cities and created the towering skylines of today's major citiesThe need for stronger structures led to the creation of steel-framed buildings – the first of which was built in 1892, the Masonic Temple Building stood 22 stories tall

The City in the Land of the Dollar

New York city was a leader in the creation of the modern American city, and by creating a large urbanized park had inspired other cities

Chicago wanted to join the leaders and be put on the cultural map, and this is where Frederick Law Olmsted stepped in to design Chicago's first urban parks

Because of the disastrous results of the Chicago fire, the city was able to start new and rebuild itself – and the urban parks were a beautiful addition to the sky scrapers and city streets that composed downtown He designed eight individual parks around the city that contained such land marks as zoos, conservatories, lakes, canals, sports fields, performance stages,pedestrian and bike trails, and more

These parks were part of an effort to beautify the downtown area of the city

The City in the Land of the Dollar