Source: www.lva.virginia.gov/exhibits/coaltown/towns/ (Accessed 8.11.2015 In other cases, the company`s motivations were less ideal. Distance and lack of transportation prevented workers from seeking other jobs or buying from other independent traders. In some cases, companies paid employees with a certificate that was only good in corporate relationships. Without external competition, housing and food costs in operating cities could become exorbitant, and workers have accumulated large debts that they have had to repay before leaving. In industrial cities, workers often lived in fenced or guarded areas, under the pretext that they « protected » workers from unscrupulous street vendors. In the South, free and convicted workers were often housed in the same rooms and suffered equally terrible abuses. Although a city that existed before the establishment of a main company is not officially a company city, if the majority of citizens are employed by a single company, similar conditions may exist (especially with regard to the city`s economy). Similar dependencies may exist in certain neighborhoods or areas of major cities. By the 1920s, the spread of the automobile meant that workers no longer had to live close to their workplaces and now had access to more employment opportunities.

A combination of the freedom that came with private transportation and mass communication of broadcasting meant that the isolation of corporate cities diminished and the social base of the corporate city became less necessary. The model business city is about creating a productive and successful business. Enlightened industrialists believed that this could be achieved by creating a healthier living environment for their employees. Planning for a model city included merging new house design and floor plan ideas. [13] The enlightened industrialist`s paternalism was evident in his desire to provide his employees with an aesthetic environment that included well-designed homes, parks, schools, libraries and meeting rooms. [14] The manufacturer also wanted to contribute to the well-being of its workers by offering social programs such as sporting events and events. [14] However, it underscores the power and immense control of the business owner, who has been able to shape the lifestyle and activities of his employees in ways that serve his own interests and those of the company. [11] Business cities generally tend towards one of two models. First, and perhaps most famously, are total institutions – communities where a company exerts a Big Brother-like grip on the population, controls or even replaces the government, collects rents from company-owned apartments, dictates shopping habits (possibly in the company`s store), and even determines where people pray and how they can spend their free time. A second form consists of model cities – planned and ideal communities supported by companies that have promised to share their premium with workers and families.

Many of these sites have been carefully designed by experienced architects and urban planners. These model business cities were characterized by a paternalistic and vigilant attitude of the masters of business towards the citizens. The coal companies cleared the forests to build simple houses, schools and churches, all located near the mines. The cities followed the branches of the C&O, N&W and Virginian Railroads. In order to reduce costs, almost all of the miners` houses were built identically, often from cheap materials. As most towns, like Mohegan, were built in remote areas, miners and their families were completely dependent on businesses for all services. Some companies have taken much better care of miners and their families by building swimming pools, cinemas and parks. Homes in these model cities included plumbing, electrical, and sewage systems. However, government observers claimed that Pullman`s principles were correct, as he offered his employees a quality of life that was otherwise inaccessible to them, but realized that his excessive paternalism was unsuited to a large business economy and thus caused the downfall of the city. As a result, government observers and social reformers saw the need for a balance between control and well-designed cities, concluding that a model operating city would only succeed if independent professionals acting as a buffer between employers and employees played a role in the design, planning, and management of those cities. [6] Although economically prosperous, corporate cities have sometimes failed politically due to a lack of elected officials and municipal services.

[3] As a result, workers often had no say in local affairs and therefore felt dictated. Ultimately, this political climate caused resentment among workers and led many residents to lose their long-term affection for their cities. this was the case with Pullman. The city functioned successfully until the economic panic of 1893, when demand for the company`s products declined and Pullman reduced wages and employee hours to offset declining demand. Despite this, the company refused to lower rents in the city or the prices of goods in its stores, which led to the Pullman Strike of 1894. A national commission formed to investigate the causes of the strikes concluded that Pullman`s paternalism was partly to blame, calling them « un-American. » [4] The report condemns Pullman for its refusal to negotiate and for the economic hardship it has created for workers in the town of Pullman. « The aesthetic features are admired by visitors, but have little monetary value for employees, especially if they lack bread. » The state of Illinois filed a lawsuit, and in 1898, the Illinois Supreme Court forced the Pullman Company to sell the city`s property, which was annexed by Chicago. [5] Catalonia, located in northeastern Spain, has a particularly high density of corporate cities, known locally as industrial colonies. They focus particularly on river basins along the Ter and Llobregat rivers and their tributaries.

In Berguedà, for example, there are 14 settlements within a radius of 20 km. The total number in Catalonia is about a hundred. These were small towns created around a factory or mine, built in a rural area, and thus separated from any other population. They were usually home to between 100 and 500 inhabitants; In some cases, more than 1,000 people lived in these cities. [32]:101 Paternalism, a subtle form of social engineering, refers to the control of workers by their employers who sought to impose bourgeois ideals on their workers.