How did the cholera epidemic of 1884 change public works in Naples?

The cholera epidemic of 1884 served as a catalyst for a transient spirit of reform in Naples, leading to significant changes in the city's urban landscape and public works.1

This period of modernization, known as the risanamento, focused on several key areas:

• Slum Clearance: Authorities initiated extensive demolition of historic quarters to improve living conditions, most notably driving the straight, wide thoroughfare of Corso Umberto I—also known as the Rettifilo—through the city center from Piazza del Municipio to the railway station.12
• Infrastructure Upgrades: The city undertook the modernization of its water and transport systems to address the sanitation failures that had exacerbated the epidemic.1

While these projects fundamentally altered the physical geography of Naples, the optimism surrounding the risanamento was eventually curtailed by the onset of World War I.1