Problems in Colonial Cities (Late 1600s): Disease, Fire, Crime, Water, Waste

Late 17th-century colonial cities faced severe urban challenges:

• Disease – Poor sanitation, crowding spread smallpox, measles, yellow fever, malaria.
• Fire – Wooden buildings, narrow streets fueled conflagrations (e.g., Great Fire of London 1666).
• Crime – Theft, assault, murder thrived in dense, anonymous neighborhoods.
• Water supply – Contaminated sources, inadequate distribution.
• Waste disposal – Streets littered with garbage, attracting vermin.

These issues persisted until municipal reforms, engineering, and public health advances in later centuries.