Part 13/17:
The Industrial Revolution prompted rapid urban growth. Crowded cities developed working-class housing, from primitive tenements to more refined row houses. Early tenements in New York, characterized by darkness, overcrowding, and poor sanitation, led to public health reforms—windows and better ventilation became legal requirements.
Meanwhile, the middle class sought more comfortable homes: rowhouses and townhouses with multiple floors, large windows, and private yards. In European cities like Paris, Haussmann’s renovation introduced elegant, wide boulevards and uniform apartment buildings, setting standards for urban residences.