[T]Throughout the nineteenth century and into the twentieth, citizens of the United

States maintained a bias against big cities. [T]Most lived on farms and in small towns and

believed cities to be centers of corruption, crime, poverty, and moral degradation. [T]Their

Line    distrust was caused, in part, by a national ideology that proclaimed farming the greatest

(5)      occupation and rural living superior to urban living. [T]This attitude prevailed even as the

number of urban dwellers increased and cities became an essential feature of the

national landscape. [T]Gradually, economic reality overcame ideology. [T]Thousands

abandoned the precarious life on the farm for more secure and better paying jobs in the

city. [T]But when these people migrated from the countryside, they carried their fears and

(10)    suspicious with them. [T]These new urbanities, already convinced that cities were

overwhelmed with great problems, eagerly embraced the progressive reforms that

promised to bring order out of the chaos of the city.

[T]One of many reforms came in the area of public utilities. [T]Water and sewerage

systems were usually operated by municipal governments, but the gas and electric

(15)    networks were privately owned. [T]Reformers fared that the privately owned utility

companies would charge exorbitant rates for these essential services and deliver them

only to people who could afford them. [T]Some city and state governments responded by

regulating the utility companies, but a number of cities began to supply these services

themselves. [T]Proponents of these reforms argued that public ownership and regulation

(20)    would insure widespread access to these utilities and guarantee a fair price.

[T]While some reforms focused on government and public behavior, others looked at

the cities as a whole. [T]Civic leaders, convinced that physical environment influenced

human behavior, argued that cities should develop master plans to guide their future

growth and development. [T]City planning was nothing new, but the rapid industrialization

(25)    and urban growth of the late nineteenth century took place without any consideration

for order. [T]Urban renewal in the twentieth century followed several courses. [T]Some cities

introduced plans to completely rebuild the city core. [T]Most other cities contented

themselves with zoning plans for regulating future growth. [T]Certain parts of town were

restricted to residential use, while others were set aside for industrial or commercial

(30)    development.