“No Mean City”

1894 Lloyd, Henry Demarest (1847-1903). “No Mean City.” In his Mazzini, and Other Essays (New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1910), 201-32. “No Mean City” was given as a lecture before the Winnetka, IL Town Board in November 1894 but was first published as listed here. Rpt. in Henry Demarest Lloyd’s Critiques of American Capitalism, 1881-1903. Ed. Alun Munslow and Owen R. Ashton (Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 1995), 133-46. Hathi

The White City from the World’s Fair Columbian: Exposition in Chicago in 1893 is recreated and in response Chicago eliminated pollution and more generally rebuilt its infrastructure to be compatible with the beauty of the White City. Many people moved out of Chicago and, since they had to return to the city to work, the electricity-based transportation system was radically improved on moved out of sight. Municipally owned utilities. Improved housing for workers. Improved personal relations. More gender equality, including the franchise. No child labor. The remaining problem, a large body of unemployed, was solved by building No Mean City based on the principles of the reformed Chicago. Its great success led to no one living in the old Chicago, which was replaced by a great park full of museums, universities, places of worship, theatres, libraries, and so forth.