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Originally Posted by Arragonis
My postage wasn't clear - more CO2 per unit of heat from wood vs Coal, the latter is more energy dense. Maybe it is better for houses but not for power stations ?
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It's better for whatever use because it doesn't release fossil CO2 into the atmosphere. Now for home heating, if one lives in a sensible place - that is, not a (sub)urban conglomeration - it is better because it can be locally sourced. Most of my heat for the next few years will come from clearing out dead trees & trimming limbs on my own lot. If that runs low, I can get more from Forest Service thinning projects within a 10-20 mile radius.
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...the "Survey of the British Population" (Gregory King, circa 1688) recorded an annual income for a labourer of between £2 and £4 a year for a labourer and farm worker. It (the wage for an unskilled labourer) rose after 1800 so that it was 50% higher by 1850 despite the population growing by 3 times.
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I wonder if those numbers take account of the changing value of the pound. After all, the pound was at one time a literal pound of silver (240 silver pence), which today would be worth about £290 (or $480). Then there are changing prices: if you earn £2 and pay £2 for food & shelter, then go somewhere where you make £4 per year, but your food & shelter now costs £4 plus a couple of shillings... Well, you haven't actually progressed all that much, now have you?
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The attractiveness of the city vs rural life can be seen all over the world - 19th century Britain, 19th and 20th century USA, 20th Century Japan and even 1980s on China.
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What you see, and have seen throughout history, are people going to the cities in hopes of making their fortunes. You also see that the small fraction who actually do make their fortunes move right back out again.
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Actually Bradford was a major city in the [industrial revolution...
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Depends on your definition of "major". With a population of around 100K, it was much smaller than say London.
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We didn't have the "grid" organisation that governments in Europe and the US liked (so they could march troops quickly in to deal with "trouble")...
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Now what were you saying about "bordering on a conspiracy theory"? (And having visited a selection of European cities, I can't instantly recall one with a street grid.)