Why did slums and suburbs develop simultaneously? Were class antagonisms to blame? Why did the Victorians believe there was a housing problem? The history of housing between 1780 and 1914 encapsulates many problems associated with the transition from a largely rural to an overwhelmingly urban nation, whose unprecedented pace imposed immense tensions within society. This book reviews the recent arguments and guides the student of social history to further reading, making it an ideal introduction to a central issue in nineteenth-century history.

This clear, lucid and richly illustrated study, based on a formidable amount of new archival research, explores the physical transformation of Edinburgh in the nineteenth century. Richard Rodger's powerful book shows how landowners, builders and investors pursued their own agendas and in doing so reshaped the Victorian towns and cities that the twentieth century inherited. Historians--whether political, urban, economic, social or legal--will find challenging new insights here, which have a resonance far beyond the confines of one city.

This clear, lucid and richly illustrated study, based on a formidable amount of new archival research, explores the physical transformation of Edinburgh in the nineteenth century. Richard Rodger's powerful book shows how landowners, builders and investors pursued their own agendas and in doing so reshaped the Victorian towns and cities that the twentieth century inherited. Historians--whether political, urban, economic, social or legal--will find challenging new insights here, which have a resonance far beyond the confines of one city.

The world is full of environmental injustices and inequalities, yet few European historians have tackled these subjects head on; nor have they explored their relationships with social inequalities. In this innovative collection of historical essays the contributors consider a range of past environmental injustices, spanning seven northern and western European countries and with several chapters adding a North American perspective. In addition to an introductory chapter that surveys approaches to this area of environmental history, individual chapters address inequalities in the city as...