DaVinci’s Pandemic
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n 1347, Milan got lucky. Only 15% of its population died from the “black death.” Of course, that’s a horrible toll. But not in comparison to nearby towns in northern Italy, where the death rate exceeded 50%. In fact, Milan was one of the rare places in Europe not eventually enveloped by the disease. It spread virtually unchecked, ravaging cities as far off as Frankfort and London. Ultimately, it would kill 25 million people on the continent.
So, did Milan have some secret weapon protecting it? In fact, it did. It practiced common sense. When the plague first hit, city leaders made observations and took steps:
Those with the disease were isolated—in some cases by extreme measures. The front doors of some dwellings of the afflicted were bricked shut, the inhabitants left to fend for themselves.
Personal hygiene was emphasized, using oils, herbs and even scorpions.
Frequent disinfecting of household surfaces was practiced.
Necessary visitors, like traders, were required to show papers of origin…and were inspected for signs of the disease. Suspected carriers were quarantined long enough to prove they were safe.
Unnecessary visitors, like pilgrims, were redirected around the city.
In other words, by observation and logic, 14th century Milanese were taking many of the same steps that many Americans refuse to accept today. The Milanese did not have the benefit of modern science. It would be 300 years until the existence of bacteria was discovered…and 200 more until scientists traced the exact source of the bubonic plague to rats and their fleas. Doctors could only rely on what made sense to them. Citizens back then could only pray the plague would never return.
Those prayers were not answered.
y 1484, the European Renaissance was unfolding, and its “founding father”, Leonard DaVinci, had been living productively in Milan for a couple of years. In effect, Leonardo was the true “renaissance man.” His genius defied academic boundaries. He made historic advances in art, engineering, anatomy, mathematics, and philosophy. This same man who painted the Mona Lisa also figured out how a helicopter could work. This same man who painted The Last Supper invented the armored tank, the bicycle and scuba gear.
One definition of the Renaissance says it was the birth of humanism, the belief that “man is the measure of all things.” If true, by that same standard, Leonardo DaVinci was the measure of all men.
But even geniuses were at risk when the plague returned, as it did to Milan in 1484. This time, more than a third of Milan’s population would perish. DaVinci was not afflicted personally…but he was perplexed. What might he do?
He decided to set off on yet another new path—by expanding the practice of architecture to incorporate full scale urban design. He set out to describe a city that might help repel the disease. His solution would come to be called his “Ideal City”—a cohesive urban design that promoted the free flow of fresh air, open spaces, and the separation of trade and commerce from the citizenry. Once again, Milan foretold our future.
DaVinci envisioned the nearby Ticino River feeding canals that would flow beneath a multi-level environment. The traders and goods coming into the city would be segregated to the lower level. On top of that, the residents would walk along wide concourses, down open-air staircases, and gather beneath high, open porticos. This was a radical departure from the narrow, curving cobblestone streets that characterized virtually every other city at the time.
The best way to grasp Leonardo’s design is to view it as a three-dimension model in this video…
Unfortunately--but predictably--there were neither sufficient funds nor engineering expertise to bring his vision to life.
Ultimately, this second wave of plague also dissipated. But the black death was not done with Milan. A third incursion arrived in 1629, and this one would be the worst. Although Milan by then understood the health measures that had worked in the past, the city fathers decided to relax them to allow citizens to fully enjoy the upcoming spring carnival season. Half of the city perished. Does this sound familiar?
For centuries, DaVinci’s Ideal City design was thought of as fantasy…even folly. It receded from public consideration. But it wasn’t fully forgotten. When the “modernist” movement in architecture arrived at the start of the 20th century, early disciples created a utilitarian approach that borrowed from DaVinci’s Ideal City.
The house below, designed by Le Corbusier in Stuttgart in 1920, incorporated the same types of open terraces, fresh air walkways and outdoor stairways that DaVinci conceived.
A few years later, Chicago virtually replicated DaVinci’s multi-level concept with the design of its Lower Wacker Drive along the banks of the Chicago River. A ground level roadway circles two-thirds of the downtown area, and is reserved for heavy duty trucks, garbage removal and delivery vehicles. Meanwhile, a level above, shoppers and office workers stroll along the fabled State Street and the Magic Mile (Michigan Avenue), virtually unaware of the mundane business taking place right beneath their feet.
eonardo DaVinci was just one man—but uniquely equipped with the almost preternatural powers to both see and shape the future. It’s been more than 500 years since he saw a pandemic surrounding him and decided to combat it by designing an entire environment that would thwart its progress.
DaVinci and the doctors of his time knew how to fight the problem. But Milan eventually proved unable to fully muster the public will to do all that was necessary.
It’s mundane to say it, but still true: history does repeat itself.
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