Environmental Classics 10: Nature’s Metropolis

There is a natural comparison to be made between Cronon’s Nature’s Metropolis and Hecht’s and Cockburn’s Fate of the Forest. Both describe the natural and economic history of a particular new world region with remarkable parallels. Both areas were developed due to heavy promotion of the area’s ‘natural advantages’ by enthusiasts with economic incentives to promote the area. Both areas had significant natural barriers to transportation, natives who made use of the land prior to the arrival of settlers of European descent, and had significant transportation of goods and inidividuals by way of water.

But what may be more remarkable are the differences in outcomes. Chicago has become highly successful, knitting its region together economically. Brazil remains more factionalized and conflict ridden. Key advantages which may be helpful explaining Chicago’s outcome include connections between neighboring and highly developed regions, the environment of the region, and local attitudes towards property and innovation.

Chicago owes its present significance in large part to advantages in location, transportation. It is located on the best harbor in southwestern Lake Michigan. This harbor, while highly problematic, still made the best access to the western Midwest region from New England. This led to heavy investment from the industrialized northeastern United States. Transportation across the great lakes has been relatively easy for those with large boats, during the times when the lakes are not frozen. However, land transportation was problematic in other seasons, particularly spring and fall, due to mud. This led to the use of relatively low grade waterways, and the construction of canals to extend the water transportation advantage into the surrounding areas.

The biggest breakthrough for accessing areas further inland came with the development of the railroad. Chicago’s location, the most central United States location of a Great Lake harbor, made it a good choice to begin constructing the railroads. The railroads set Chicago in a position as a central marketplace for the midwest, leading in turn to further development, including more railroads. The geography of rails did not wholly displace the geography of

The geography of the land around Chicago make another key advantage. It is a very flat region, easing construction in many ways and reducing transportation costs in suitable weather. Additionally, the soil, climate, and latitude are hospitable to the style of agriculture pioneered in Europe, and transplanted to the American Continents.

A strong sense of property have an impact on this development as well. There is a pervading sense of ownership so strong that early on, individual sacks of grain could be tracked back to a particular grower, halfway across the continent. The sale of land to settlers, and the violent removal of natives from that land tie in. Settlers were encouraged to relocate to this new frontier by the prospect of owning land.

Innovation played another essential role. The adoption of railroads and the restructuring of markets for commodities such as grain and meat are central to the rise of Chicago. The railroads made Chicago the crossroads of the Midwest. Along with this, the commodification of grain, and the rise of the slaughterhouses and the meatpacking industry drove Chicago’s rise. It should be noted that these changes came with conflicts and adjustments and were never universally welcomed, but the larger society’s speed and willingness to try new methods to integrate these changes into the lifestyle certainly advanced the development of the city and its region.