Urbanization Game
OER PROJECT: WH ORIGINS/ LESSON 7.5ACTIVITY URBANIZATION GAME1Unless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Urbanization Game,” OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/PurposeBy drawing the transformation of a small fictional village into a large industrial city over the course of a century, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how cities developed and how the Industrial Revolutiontransformed communities.Process1.Listen as your teacher reads short narratives about life in a small English village from 1700 to 1850. Using a large sheet of paper, create drawings based on the narration. Use the template on page 2 to guide your drawing. You’ll have limited time to complete each drawing step.Once you’ve completed the narrative andhave a full map of your city, answer the following questions:2.Based on this activity and what you’ve learned so far, how would you define urbanization?3.What was the most dramatic change that you saw your town undergo during this game?4.What was the most difficult part of planning and mapping out your city?5.Why do you think the Industrial Revolution is considered such an important turning point in world history?
OER PROJECT: WH ORIGINS/ LESSON 7.5ACTIVITY URBANIZATION GAME2
OER PROJECT: WH ORIGINS/ LESSON 7.5ACTIVITY URBANIZATION GAME3Urbanization Game Narrative:1700Inthe year1700, a village of300 rests in the English countryside.Life is slow and centered on family, work, and the church, which is the tallest building. People work from home as farmers or artisans, often in workshops next to their houses. Everyone, including children, works long hours.Most people live as part of an extended family network.Most marry young, often in their teens. Life expectancy is about 40, and one in three babies dies in their firstyear. Most people are poor farmers. A few middle-class families own larger plots of land, but wealthier people typically live indistantcities like London.(Drawing time: 4minutes)Draw a map of your villageusing the icons on the templateas a reference for size and design. You havefourminutes to draw.•Label your paper indicating compass directions for north, south, east, and west.•Draw a river running from east to west (the river should be no more than 1inch wide).•Draw a wooden bridge that crosses the river with a road (1/4 inch) that runs from north to south and crosses the river at the bridge.•Draw a square (4x4 inches) commons area.•Draw 10 houses, 1 church (the tallest structure) with a cemetery, at least 2 stores, and 1 pub.•Draw a forest and 1 coal mine outsideof thetown1745your towninvests in a canal. England's rivers help move goods, and one runs through your village. Transporting coal and materials by water is faster and cheaper than by horse. Your canal makesa big profit, allowing the people who investedto build larger homes.(Drawing time: 4minutes)Drawthe following:•Add 2large houses. Label each with a $.•Draw 1 canal parallel to the river.
OER PROJECT: WH ORIGINS/ LESSON 7.5ACTIVITY URBANIZATION GAME41760England’s population is growing fast. Sewage systems reduce disease,and farming improves,thanks to fertilizer and crop rotation. The Enclosure Acts let wealthy landowners buy common landused by poor farmersto run their large farms and herdsmore efficiently.(Drawing time: 3minutes)Drawthe following:•Add another square (3x3 inches) commonsarea.•Add 10 new houses.•Add another large house.Labelwith a $.1775In 1771, Richard Arkwright patents the water frame, a large water-powered machine that producescloth quickly. He builds one of England’s first textile factories by a river—your village’s river. As farms disappear,thanks to the Enclosure Acts, many poor families move to your village toworkin the factory. With more people, your town adds shops and a second church.(Drawing time: 3minutes)Drawthe following:•Draw a water-powered factory positioned near the river.•Add 20 new houses (for a total of 40).•Add an additional church, another pub, and another store.•Add more roads and another bridge thatcrossesthe river to accommodate all the new houses.•Remove any section of forest needed to make space.1780Arkwright's success inspires others. By 1780, threenew factories appear bythe river. Thepeople who build them are called capitalists, and theyinvest heavily in buildings, materials, and labor. With many new workers arriving, housing becomes scarce. Factory owners make even more money by convertingold buildings into tenements—large, crowded apartment buildings. More shops and services open to support the growing population.
OER PROJECT: WH ORIGINS/ LESSON 7.5ACTIVITY URBANIZATION GAME5(Drawing time: 2minutes)Drawthe following:•Add 3 factories near the river.•Erase 5 old houses and add 5 tenements.•Add another store, pub, and church.•Add a school for the children of wealthy families.Label this school with a $.•Add new roads connecting the tenements, factories, houses, churches, and schools.1782Factory workers labor from 6a.m.to 9p.m.with little rest. Most earn very little money and struggle to support their families. Many go to pubs and drink to cope. Meanwhile, factory owners and managers grow wealthy, live in large homes, and expand their factories with profits.(Drawing time: 2minutes)Drawthe following:•Destroy 5 houses.•Add 5 pubs and 4 tenements.•Add 2 large homes.Labeleachwith a $.•Add another factory and 10 new houses for factory managers.1785James Watt’s new steam engine changes everything. It’s faster and powered by coal instead of water, so factories no longer need rivers. Factory owners upgrade machines and build new factories farther from water sources.(Drawing time: 2minutes)Drawthe following:•Add 3 new coal-powered factories away from the river (show smoke coming from their chimneys).•Add smoke to all factories previously built along the river.•Add another largehouse.Label with a $.•Add 5 more houses for factory managers and 2 more tenements.
OER PROJECT: WH ORIGINS/ LESSON 7.5ACTIVITY URBANIZATION GAME61815New inventions keep coming. Henry Cort’s puddling process makes coal the main fuel for iron production. More and larger factories are built, and canals carry iron across the country. With rising coal demand, new mines open. Mining is dangerous, and many miners, including children, are sick and malnourished. Death rates rise.(Drawing time: 1.5minutes)Drawthe following:•Add 2 new coal mines.•Replace the wooden bridge crossing the river with an iron bridge.•Add 5 new houses.•Add another cemetery.•Add new roads connecting these new buildings.1827Old roads and canals can’t keep upwith demand for the textiles and iron made in your town.Thesteam-powered locomotive is invented, and a railway connects your town’s factories and coal minesto the rest of England. Owners start hiring more women and children for lower wages, which changesfamily life. As traditional roles shift, some menturn to alcohol or crime.(Drawing time: 1.5minutes)Drawthe following:•Add a railway connecting all factories and coal mines in your town. It should leave town to the south,parallel to your firstroad. Destroy any buildings needed to make this work•Add 10 more houses and 2 more tenements.•Add 2 more pubs and 1 jail.1838Gas lamps, which wereinvented as a by-product of heating coal at the extreme temperatures needed to make iron, now light the streets. Factory conditions are still dangerous. Workers face long hours anddangerous conditions, which lead toinjuries. With no insurance, those hurt or unemployed are left with nothing.
OER PROJECT: WH ORIGINS/ LESSON 7.5ACTIVITY URBANIZATION GAME7(Drawing time: 1 minute)Drawthe following:•Add 20 streetlamps along the streets of your town.•Add 2 hospitals and an additional cemetery.1842Your town needs better transport. A new rail line is builtthat passesthrough your town. Wealthy residents want more schools and entertainment,such astheaters and museums.(Drawing time: 1 minute)Drawthe following:•Add another rail line that runseast to west.•Add 5 houses and 1 tenement for rail workers.•Add 1 theater, 1 museum, 2 schools, and another large house (label with a $).1850By 1845, your city is overcrowdedand filthy. Factories cover everything in soot. The polluted river and poor living conditions lead to disease, depression, and discontent. Still, factories keep growing and the city expands.(Drawing time: 1 minute)Drawthe following:•Add another cemetery and jail along with an additional hospital.•Add 10 houses, 5 tenements, 2 stores, another church, 3more factories, another pub, 2 more large houses (label with a $), and another special building (label “city hall”).
OER PROJECT: WH ORIGINS/ LESSON 7.5ACTIVITY URBANIZATION GAME8Keeping Score:You’ve just planned a whole city over the course of about 100 years. Congratulations. But like people living at the time, youwere under some time pressure, and you didn’t know what was coming. So,let’s see how you did. •Start with a score of 100•Lose 1 point for each house placed next to a factory, coal mine, or railroad.•Lose 2 points for each tenement placed next to a factory, coal mine, or railroad.•Lose 5 points for any school, church, or large house placed next to a factory, coal mine, or railroad.•Lose 5 points for any tenement not within 4 inches of a school.•Lose 5 points for any tenement not within 4 inches of a pub.•Lose 10 points for any part of the city not connected by a road.•Gain 1 point for every square inch of forest remaining.