Various steps were taken to clean up London. Attempts were made to spread out the tenements. Parks were created and trees were planted to reduce pollution. Large blocks of apartments were built. The city dwellers longed for the fresh country side. So a ‘green belt’ was created around London. Ebenezer Howard, an Architect, developed the principle of the Garden City, a city full of plants and trees, where people would both live and work. This would ensure a better quality of life for the city dwellers. Ebenezer Howard called for the creation of new suburban towns of limited size, planned in advance, and surrounded by a permanent belt of agricultural land. These Garden cities were used as a role model for many suburbs. Howard believed that such Garden Cities were the perfect blend of city and nature. The towns would be largely independent, and managed and financed by the citizens who had an economic interest in them The Government realising the need for good housing for the city dwellers built a million houses, most of them single-family cottages.