I now come to the design I have in hand. Mr. Chadwick has many
times told us that he could build a city that would give any stated
mortality, from fifty, or any number more, to five, or perhaps some
number less, in the thousand annually. I believe Mr. Chadwick to be
correct to the letter in this statement, and for that reason I have
projected a city that shall show the lowest mortality. I need not say
that no such city exists, and you must pardon me for drawing upon your
imaginations as I describe it. Depicting nothing whatever but what is
at this present moment easily possible, I shall strive to bring
into ready and agreeable view a community not abundantly favoured
by natural resources, which, under the direction of the scientific
knowledge acquired in the past two generations, has attained a
vitality not perfectly natural, but approaching to that standard. In
an artistic sense it would have been better to have chosen a small
town or large village than a city for my description; but as the great
mortality of States is resident in cities, it is practically better
to take the larger and less favoured community. If cities could be
transformed, the rest would follow.
Our city, which may be named _Hygeia_, has the advantage of being
a new foundation, but it is so built that existing cities might be
largely modelled upon it.
The population of the city may be placed at 100,000, living in 20,000
houses, built on 4,000 acres of land,--an average of 25 persons to
an acre. This may be considered a large population for the space
occupied, but, since the effect of density on vitality tells only
determinately when it reaches a certain extreme degree, as in
Liverpool and Glasgow, the estimate may be ventured.
The safety of the population of the city is provided for against
density by the character of the houses, which ensures an equal
distribution of the population. Tall houses overshadowing the streets,
and creating necessity for one entrance to several tenements,
are nowhere permitted. In streets devoted to business, where the
tradespeople require a place of mart or shop, the houses are four
stories high, and in some of the western streets where the houses are
separate, three and four storied buildings are erected; but on the
whole it is found bad to exceed this range, and as each story is
limited to 15 feet, no house is higher than 60 feet.
The substratum of the city is of two kinds. At its northern and
highest part, there is clay; at its southern and south-eastern,
gravel. Whatever disadvantages might spring in other places from a
retention of water on a clay soil, is here met by the plan that is
universally followed, of building every house on arches of solid
brickwork. So, where in other towns there are areas, and kitchens, and
servants' offices, there are here subways through which the air flows
freely, and down the inclines of which all currents of water are
carried away.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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