Page 21 - Çevre Şehir İklim İngilizce - Sayı 2

Elif Özlem Aydın

The second threshold is the Industrial Revolution that started in England and
spread to European continent. The first spinning machines were built in British
islands. They were followed by mechanical weaving looms that make up textile
factories. Over time, within iron industry, with the discovery of how to transform
coal to coke coal, coalfields went into major transformations. With the invention
of steam engines to heat coal more rapidly and effectively, the industrial towers
and chimneys affected the physical setting of the industrial regions to a great
deal. For economical reasons, there was a massive migration of workers from
agricultural settlements to new industrial centers (ERIH network web site, 2022).
Thus, with the increased population due to industrialization, it is possible to
say that the predominantly rural culture was replaced by urban culture. With
the increased population in city centers, the sense of mechanization and mass-
production, turned an agricultural society into an industrial one. Industrial
Revolution went through a series of changes with the workmanship, production,
and distribution methods, which affected the economic and social lives of
people to a great extent (History Discussion web site, 2022)
The third threshold, is the “age of information and technology” based on
knowledge. In the information society, people working in information sectors
has outnumbered those working in the field of industry, and the production
of information and technology has become the main element of value
creation. The third threshold showed its effect on the markets after the 1970s.
Accordingly, the industrial culture has taken a new form in information and
the developing technology (Koç and Teker, 2019). All three thresholds created
new lifestyles, physical formations, and cultures (Toffler, 1981).
With the establishment of numerous factories starting from Europe, moving
onto the USA and other continents, efforts were concentrated around science
through business models and inventions such as steam power, railways,
electricity and assembly lines. Accordingly, the economic growth around the
world gained momentum. With the complete application of technological
advances into industries, new national and international markets and networks
were formed for the distribution of industrial goods (Koç and Teker, 2019).
The transformation of agricultural society to industrial society is a long and
slow process (History Discussion web site, 2022). The increased communal life
in industrial settlements changed the lifestyle based on agriculture. Adult men
and women who left farming started to work in factories. For this reason, new
kindergartens and educational buildings were added to industrial centers. To
increase the number of workers in industrial regions, multi-dwelling units were
developed. The health issues of factory workers resulted in a need for health
centers with more capacity. As the working class could no longer grow their own
food, spacious shopping districts, street markets, and shopping malls had to

7 Journal of Environment, Urbanization and Climate