Era of Change and Growth
Figure 1: Charleston Bridge, 1899.
The city of Boston experienced significant growth and expansion. In the last decades of the 19th century, city planning shifted from private sectors to Boston’s city government. Despite the lost of opportunity to rebuild the downtown area after the Great Fire of 1872, Boston completed an assortment of landmark projects during this era. In the late 19th century, Boston experienced a landscape expansion and growth from an annexation of towns, development of the park system, and the construction of the transit system. At the end of the 19th century, Boston’s mayor, Josiah Quincy sought to address the physical and social problems of the poor by mobilizing political support for public works projects. Despite his agenda was short lived, Mayor Quincy gained grounds for the support and benefits of local government to do more to shape the city than simply distributing land and planning streets.[1]
In the early 20th century, professionals from engineers to architects asserted the ideals of city planning in the urban landscape of Boston. The City Beautiful Movement sparked the idea of a city planning committee to turn to government power to complete a project. City planning became a recognized profession as Olmsted argues for “all the planning that shapes each of the fragments that go to make up the physical city shall be so harmonized as to reduce the conflict of purposes and the waste of constructive effort to a minimum, and thus secure for the people of the city conditions adapted to their attaining the maximum of productive efficiency, of health, and of enjoyment of life”.[2] The recognition of local planning board was felt in Boston and accomplished with the establishment of a Boston planning board in 1914. Despite great strife to utilized and enforce the efforts of city planning, the planning profession struggled to achieve results due to politics, the war between business and political leaders. While Boston had leaders who sought to intervene and collaboration with business leaders but would eventually discover the social and political gap made it impossible to foster the economic fortune of business leaders along with those of the city.
Reference:
1. Kennedy, Lawrence W. Planning the City upon a Hill: Boston since 1630. University of Massachusetts Press, 1994.
2. Olmsted, Frederick Law. "Public parks and the enlargement of towns." Cambridge, Mass (1870).
Figure 1: City Planning Board. Charleston Bridge. c. 1899. Boston Landmarks Commission image collection. City of Boston Archives. Web. 6 Mar 2013.
In the early 20th century, professionals from engineers to architects asserted the ideals of city planning in the urban landscape of Boston. The City Beautiful Movement sparked the idea of a city planning committee to turn to government power to complete a project. City planning became a recognized profession as Olmsted argues for “all the planning that shapes each of the fragments that go to make up the physical city shall be so harmonized as to reduce the conflict of purposes and the waste of constructive effort to a minimum, and thus secure for the people of the city conditions adapted to their attaining the maximum of productive efficiency, of health, and of enjoyment of life”.[2] The recognition of local planning board was felt in Boston and accomplished with the establishment of a Boston planning board in 1914. Despite great strife to utilized and enforce the efforts of city planning, the planning profession struggled to achieve results due to politics, the war between business and political leaders. While Boston had leaders who sought to intervene and collaboration with business leaders but would eventually discover the social and political gap made it impossible to foster the economic fortune of business leaders along with those of the city.
Reference:
1. Kennedy, Lawrence W. Planning the City upon a Hill: Boston since 1630. University of Massachusetts Press, 1994.
2. Olmsted, Frederick Law. "Public parks and the enlargement of towns." Cambridge, Mass (1870).
Figure 1: City Planning Board. Charleston Bridge. c. 1899. Boston Landmarks Commission image collection. City of Boston Archives. Web. 6 Mar 2013.