The Steampunk Boiler Room

I understand the "steampunk" element to be the most important element of your request, but I was wondering how broad your definition of "city" might be. I've never lived in a city, so my first instinct is to write about a steampunk town (helped along by living right near Belgrave, which is a few tweaks off being steampunk as is), but if you were hoping for a city specifically I shall of course comply.

One question, though, (and please excuse my practically nonexistant knowledge of the Victorian era)...they had cities back then, right? But not like the ones there are today? Were they just flatter versions of today's cities? They had plumbing, right?