The Hygienist Movement is an architectural and urban planning movement that preaches the application of hygienist theories. It is the result of the development produced during the century and beginning of the century, of the work of doctors and politicians (especially the Musée social) fighting against the unhealthiness of Parisian housing and the spread of tuberculosis.[1]​.

The school of the republic was also developed within the framework of this movement, thus, the volume of the classrooms and the size of the windows were calculated according to the scientific data of the time to optimize oxygenation and hours of sunshine for young students, and this in all schools in France. It is necessary to note that all the schools built during this period obey the same scheme.

Concretized by the celebration of an International Congress on Sanitation and Housing Health, which took place in Paris in 1904, it preached a scientific architecture inspired by the hospital and sanatorium model and mainly spread more hours of sunshine in homes.

This movement had a strong influence on modern architects, from Henri Sauvage") to Le Corbusier through Tony Garnier "Tony Garnier (architect)").

During the 19th century, the large increase in population as a result of immigration brought with it problems of habitability and hygiene in the city of Buenos Aires, which is why a policy of increasing public spaces was carried out (for example, Parque 3 de Febrero), and changes in the way of managing certain activities that facilitated the transmission of diseases.

One of the most important changes to take into account came from Rivadavia, who was responsible for prohibiting burials inside churches and thus moving them to the outskirts of the city. This measure could not be implemented immediately, since it not only went against traditions, but also represented an economic and power loss for the Church. This measure was not only driven by a public health issue, but they also sought to reduce ecclesiastical power. Thus, on July 8, 1822, the Recoleta Cemetery was inaugurated on the land that had previously belonged to the Catholic order of the Recoletos, which at that time was 2 km from the city, although it would later be absorbed by it.

For several years the conditions of the cemetery were completely unhealthy, both due to the lack of budget and the small space it occupied, so it was forced to expand in an unplanned manner on the surrounding urban fabric, finally being delimited by 2 wide streets in the front and in the back, and a third street in the north/south direction of the city, which ended up becoming an obligatory passage for hearses.