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feb 9, 1894 - Great Horse Manure Crisis

Description:

The Great Horse Manure Crisis of 1894 is a historical notion in urban planning which stated that the greatest challenge of further urban development was a difficulty of removing horse manure from the streets. The problem was discussed at the first urban planning conference in New York in 1898 and was thought to be unsolvable.

Eventually, it was solved by the proliferation of cars which replaced horses as the means of transportation in big cities. The term Great Horse Manure Crisis of 1894 is often used to denote a problem which seems to be impossible to solve because it is being looked at from the wrong direction.

The horse manure problem was gradually piling up, and was seriously considered in the 1890s, in particular, because the biggest cities, such as London and New York, were suffering the most from it. The name refers to the 1894 publication in The Times, which said "In 50 years, every street in London will be buried under nine feet of manure". The reasoning was that more horses are needed to remove the manure, and these horses produce more manure

Added to timeline:

Date:

feb 9, 1894
Now
~ 131 years ago

Images: