Abstract

Since 1870 a group of planners tried to ground urban planning scientifically in economy, engineering and hygiene. It is argued that hygiene as a newly developed natural science provided planners with a lot of good arguments to legitimize a change in the traditional urban planning regulations. These had not been able to prevent the chaotic growth of big cities that resulted in a housing misery, in large block of flats, and in noisy and smelling factories neighboring better class housing.Hygienic reasoning concerned with sunlight (because of its germ killing capacity), air, and ventilation (to drive away miasma) was transformed into urban planning and, than, stood for lesser hight of buildings, more space between large blocks of flats, and different parts of town for industry and housing. Planning regulations with these ends were often opposed by owners who did not accept the devaluation of their property. Therefore it was not before 1918 that these hygienically motivated planning regulations could be set into practice by a new ruling class.