The Environment and the People in American Cities, 1600s-1900s: Disorder, Inequality, and Social Change

The Environment and the People in American Cities traces the development of urban environments and social dynamics in American cities from colonial times through the early twentieth century. Taylor examines how race, class, and gender influenced access to resources and spaces within growing metropolitan areas. Environmental conditions, public health challenges, and social movements shaped the evolution of American urban life during this period. The book covers topics including sanitation infrastructure, disease outbreaks, housing conditions, and the formation of activist organizations. Environmental justice and social reform movements emerge as central themes, highlighting the connections between urban ecology and human welfare. Taylor analyzes how different social groups experienced and responded to environmental hazards and inequities in their communities. This historical analysis reveals enduring patterns in how social hierarchies and power structures have determined the distribution of environmental benefits and burdens in American cities. The work connects historical urban environmental conditions to broader questions about democracy, citizenship, and social change.

Readers appreciate the book's comprehensive examination of environmental inequality and social movements across three centuries of American urban history. Several reviewers note that Taylor successfully connects modern environmental justice issues to their historical roots. Praise focuses on: - Documentation of minority and immigrant perspectives often missing from environmental histories - Detailed research and extensive citations - Clear analysis of links between class, race, and environmental conditions Common critiques: - Dense academic writing style can be challenging to follow - Some sections become repetitive - High price point for academic press publication Ratings: Goodreads: 4.21/5 (14 ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (7 ratings) A doctoral student reviewer on Goodreads noted: "This book fills major gaps in environmental history by centering the experiences of marginalized groups." Multiple reviewers mentioned the book works better as a reference text than a cover-to-cover read.

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🌳 Author Dorceta Taylor was the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies 🏙️ The book reveals how early American cities dealt with dead animals in streets - some places hired "swill children" to collect carcasses, while others left them to decay where they fell 🏭 The text explores how class and race influenced which neighborhoods received basic services like garbage collection and street cleaning in growing 19th century cities 🌿 The research draws from over 100 cities' historical records to show how environmental inequality shaped urban development from colonial times through industrialization 🏛️ The work won the Allan Schnaiberg Outstanding Publication Award from the Environment and Technology Section of the American Sociological Association