Representations about urban growth and environment during the cholera epidemic on the newspapers “El Inválido Argentino” and “El Pueblo” (Buenos Aires, 1867-1868).

Abstract

The cholera epidemic in Buenos Aires in 1867 was a traumatic event for the city's inhabitants. The press broadcasted problems related to urban growth and the contamination of resources which were managed by the population. In this research, using the tools provided by urban environmental history, we will analyse some proposals that appeared in the weekly “El Inválido Argentino” and in the newspaper “El Pueblo”. The journalistic articles presented different perspectives tending to integrate green spaces within the city and that were articulated with contemporary debates on agrarian reform, the economic model and urban overcrowding.