Urban History 1 Flashcards
U.S. Census population threshold for “urban” places, historically
Changed as computers and GIS allowed for more computation and more detailed records, allowing the combination of suburban areas into larger metropolitan areas, generally 2,500 people in one census designated place, with rules for “hops” and “jumps”
U.S. Census definition of “rural” places
not urban
Components of a city
dense population, hub of transportation, resources, connected to other cities, Paths, Edges, Districts, Nodes&Landmarks
The city as place
this definition focuses on the city as a phenomena of itself, as something worth studying on its own, “places shaped by urban forms,” city has a “role” in the drama
The city as site
this definition focuses on events and narratives that may happen in cities, but does not focus on the city as the central element, place where “social processes and institutions” were, city as “backdrop” for the drama
Historiography
the study of the history of writing, like the way a field of research has changed over time
Cahokia
ancient native american mound city where St. Louis is now, 10-20,000 population comparable to European capitals, 1100s-1200s
Pueblo Bonito
location of an ancient native american apartment complex type building, showing evidence of social stratification and division of labor, New Mexico, dozens of people if not hundreds,
Transportation breaks
places where there is a natural pause or change in methods of transportation, like ports or major railroad hubs
Mississippi River
central river of the US, major place of trade and transportation
Missouri River
midwestern river, part of Mississippi basin
The confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri
where St. Louis is and Cahokia was, transportation break
Mango body whip
representative of the presence of nature even the most processed, manufactured items in very urban areas
Zuzu the Chihuahua
representative of the question of who is a resident and who is an invader
A Boon to Boulder and Missoula
the way that “less natural” cities like LA are an advantage to “eco-friendly” cities, making them look better by comparison, even though they’re supporting all the same systems, just outsourcing them
The Blockade of New Orleans
shut down Mississippi river trade during the Civil War, St. Louis never recovered
Primary Sources
first-hand accounts or documentation from the moment in history
Secondary Sources
second-hand analysis, discussion, or reframing of first-hand sources
Municipal Housekeeping
movement largely driven by women who were able to be involved in city planning and maintenance by incorporating it into the “housekeeping” allowed within the “women’s sphere”
The City Beautiful Movement
movement to rationalize city plans, create monumental and aesthetically pleasing spaces in downtowns, also to remove “ugly” elements like trash, “immoral” businesses, and non-white and poor populations
The Death and Life of Great American Cities
by Jane Jacobs, 1961, criticized 50’s oversimplified urban planning/renewal projects (Moses and Corbu), supported “dense mixed-use” development and “eyes on the street”, includes “the Uses of Sidewalks: safety” and “street ballet”
The New York City Municipal Archives
?
The New York City Municipal Library
?
Finding Aids
summaries by archivists of collections to ease the requests for information within vast collections
Library Databases
?
Sanborn Maps
maps of extensive sections of the US through the 1800s and 1900s for fire insurance
Social Explorer
digital mapping site compiling census data and other information visually
“Eyes on the Street”
Jane Jacob’s concept of communities watching out for each other and keeping their areas safe
“Street Ballet”
Jane Jacob’s concept of the chaos and activity of a healthy community playing out in public spaces
The Street Life Project
that guy who studied what elements made parks successful
Paths, Edges, Districts, Nodes&Landmarks
elements of a city
Time Zones
developed because of trains and telegraphs and the telephone, speeding up travel and communication enough that the fact that the sun was in different places in the sky at the same “time” was relevant
“Pink Ribbons on Lampposts”
issue of the feminization of city planning and beautification as a result of the involvement of women’s clubs
Women’s Clubs
groups (of mostly white, upper-middle class women) that were great proponents of the City Beautiful movement and city planning in general
Jane Jacobs
“street ballet,” “eyes on the street,”
Lewis Mumford
“urban drama,” “What is a City?” “The City in History,” “purposive associations” like universities and clubs,
Michael Katz
place vs. site, Urban History Association President, 1968/9 conference produced “Nineteenth Century Cities” (site), 2014 conference on site vs. place, re-emphasis of “space”
Robert Moses
“master builder” of New York City from 1920s to 1970s, massive building projects, highways, surburbs, design for cars, almost destroyed Greenwich Village, enemy of Jane Jacobs, “the Power Broker,” two worlds fairs and UN in New York City
William Whyte
“Street Life Project,” originally commissioned by NYC Planning Commission 1969, the Design of Spaces/ City: rediscovering the Center, having seats in parks, ratio of women to men, time-lapse cameras, inner/outer parks, sidewalk importance
Alison Isenberg
wrote “Downtown America: A History of the Place and the People who Made it”; we read the two chapters about Municipal Housekeeping and edited downtown postcards
Kevin Lynch
“The City Image and its Elements,” paths, edges, landmarks, districts, and nodes, having people map their experience of a city (mental maps)
Jennifer Price
Thirteen Ways of Seeing Nature in LA, believes in a wider definition of nature, including mango body whip and cranes picking through trash and wood tables, points out unequal access to “nature” depending on race and economic status
Wallace Stevens
Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird
Curt Teich
ran a postcard company starting 1910s, one of the biggest distributors of “local view” postcards
John Nolen
City Beautiful urban planner, Lynn, MA speech where everyone was bored, Lock Haven,PA controversy over whether Civic Club or Board of Trade was paying, more “practical”
Charles Mulford Robinson
City Beautiful urban planner, Fort Wayne plan after Zueblin speech, one of the most successful and influencial urban planning consultants
Mira Lloyd Dock
forester and leader of the Municipal Housekeeping/City Beautiful movement, “Aunt Sam,” after raising her siblings she went to University of Michigan to study Botany, Civic Club Harrisburg, PA,
