Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 9.djvu/464

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

446 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

came a strong pressure of population toward the outlying suburbs. The compactly built rows of the inner city was superseded by detached houses with gardens, in the suburbs. Concomitant with this movement toward the suburbs was a marked develop- ment in the means of transit. This suburban tendency has prac- tically existed only during the past thirty years ; and the last third of that period, which marks the most noticeable movement, is also the period of the greatest development of transit facilities.

Maps showing the city area in 1870, and the various annexa- tions in various colored inks, made very evident the steady and increasing suburban movement. Worms mentions a fourfold growth of population in forty years from 11,000 to 44,000. The maps of Bremen and Dresden may be presented as very noticeable examples. Frankfurt a. M. presents also excellent connections between its streets and the streets of former suburbs which are now included in the city. The area of annexations in Strassburg since 1875 is equal to the whole city area at that date. Bonn exhibited a series of eight city plans 400, 1000, 1250, 1700, 1800, 1850, 1875, 1903. First is a Roman camp, which later is subordinated to a fishing village, upon the site of which Bonn has grown.

Perhaps the rise of Schoneberg is as remarkable as anything here exhibited. In 1800 it was a village of 500 inhabitants. The growth of Berlin has meant prosperity to the little village, however. In 1871 it had only 4,500 people, but in 1898 it had reached the rank of a "city," with 72,000. In 1903 Schone- berg, though only a suburb of Berlin, ranks as a "large city," with 112,000 inhabitants. It is so young and so energetic that it has the opportunity of becoming a model of what German city-building means. There is still a broad building field, as only one-fourth of the city's area is as yet built up. By assuming control of so much neighboring territory the municipality is enabled to lay out the new quarters and thus promote the organic growth of the city. Chief thoroughfares, minor streets, villa dis- tricts, factory districts, etc., etc., are all planned in advance by the board of public works.

Barmen has wisely left its forest, the Barmerwald, and is