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Towns To House An Expanding: The development of the steam engine based on power from coal greatly contributed to the establishment of a whole range of new industries and to the rapid growth of towns to house an expanding population of factory workers. As the transport of manufactured goods became more important, canals, railways and roads cut across the land. The search for building materials accelerated as world population grew from about 900 million in 1800 to 1,650 million in 1900.
On the whole early American city planning had been excellent. The northern colonies followed the tradition of basing the economy of their towns on the use of land. The dwellings were collected around common lands, the farmlands were adjacent. Once the pioneering was done, there was no need for walls, and the towns grew spaciously. When a community became too large for adequate intratransportation, new towns were founded.
The motorist-in-comfort should think twice in Italy before engaging a big American car for his touring, for in scores of ancient towns, especially the glorious hill towns of Tuscany and Umbria, and even in many parts of many old cities, notably Florence, he will find it very difficult to maneuver a car of such width and such long wheel base. The Italian-made FIAT cars are built to cope with Italian towns, and Italian hills too. |
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