This course deals with the urban dimension of 20th century
American life. It examines the network of cities prior to WWI, their economic base and
political short-comings, and then turns to Progressive municipal reforms and the emergence
of city planning. In the inter-war decades, it focuses on the impact of the automobile,
the collapse of urban-industrial economies, and the forging of a partnership between
federal and city governments.
The last half of the course examines the impact of post-WWII urban
renewal programs, demographic and economic changes within the cities, and the strong
growth of suburbs. It concludes with an analysis of changing federal-urban relationships,
efforts to establish metropolitan government, and an evaluation of American cities in the
1990s.
 | Books on Reserve:
 | Copies of the five assigned books |
| Mayer and Wade, Chicago, Growth of a Metropolis |
| Nash et.al., The American People: Creating a Nation and a Society
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| Examinations and Grading:
| There will be a 50-minute midterm examination consisting of short
identifications and an essay question. The final examination will follow the same format,
but there will be an additional essay question which you prepare in advance. Voluntary
discussion/review sessions will be scheduled prior to both the midterm and the final. The
midterm counts 40% of the course grade, the final 60%.
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| Lecture Topics and Assignments:
| Jan. 4--Introduction and a Look at the Urban Network in 1900 |
| Jan. 6--Prosperous Industrial Cities until 1929 |
| Jan. 8--Sunbelt Cities, 1900-1940 |
| Jan. 11--Progressives and City Government |
| Jan. 13--Progressive Social and Economic Reforms |
| Jan. 15--City Planning Movement |
| Jan. 18--No Class--M.L.King Holiday |
| Jan. 20--World War I and its Aftermath in the Cities
 | Chudacoff and Smith, Evolution, chaps. 4-6, concentrating on
post-1900 material |
| Jackson, Crabgrass Frontier, chaps. 6-9 |
| Fogelson, Fragmented Metropolis, chaps. 1-6 |
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