Where Manhattan’s grid plan came from

Summary

This video explores the evolution of urban planning, focusing on how various cities, including Philadelphia, Washington DC, Savannah, and New York, developed their unique grid systems. New York's transformation from chaotic streets to its iconic grid reflects a pragmatic response to rapid population growth in the early 19th century. While cities like Washington and Philadelphia prioritized elegance and ideals, New York’s plan emphasized efficiency and speed. The video delves into the philosophical and practical forces that shaped these decisions and highlights how city grids reflect broader cultural and societal values.

Takeaways

• 😀 New York City’s iconic grid system was the result of practicality, not elegance. It was designed for efficiency and growth rather than aesthetics.
• 😀 Early maps of New York City were chaotic, with curved streets and irregular layouts, reflecting the disorder of its pre-grid development.
• 😀 The 1797 grid plan for New York City, proposed by Joseph Mangin and Casimir Goerck, was rejected for being too graceful and slow to implement amidst rapid growth.
• 😀 The 1811 grid plan, adopted by New York City, was designed for quick implementation and affordable, efficient construction to accommodate the city’s population boom.
• 😀 Philadelphia’s grid plan, designed by William Penn in 1681, was influenced by Quaker values and aimed to create an ideal, moral city with open spaces and gardens.
• 😀 The grid in Savannah, Georgia (1733), created by James Oglethorpe, was influenced by Enlightenment ideals, with emphasis on balance and communal spaces.
• 😀 Pierre L’Enfant’s 1791 design for Washington, DC, featured diagonal streets, circles, and grand squares, showcasing a more ambitious, ornamental approach to city planning.
• 😀 The practicality of the New York grid made it more suited to the rapid growth of the city compared to more complex, ornamental plans like L’Enfant’s for Washington, DC.
• 😀 The 1811 grid plan of New York was built to accommodate the largest population possible and served as a foundation for the city’s ongoing development.
• 😀 Frederick Olmsted, who designed Central Park, criticized the rigid city grid for its lack of refinement, but ultimately recognized its necessity for the city’s growth.
• 😀 City grids reflect the cultural values of the time, and New York’s choice of efficiency over design has shaped its culture of relentless growth and expansion.

Q & A

What was the initial problem with New York City's map in the 18th century?

The early maps of New York City, like those from the 1700s, were chaotic with curved streets and irregularities, reflecting the disorganized development during European settlement. The city lacked a cohesive, structured grid system.

Why was the 1797 plan for New York rejected?

The 1797 plan, created by Joseph Mangin and Casimir Goerck, proposed a graceful layout with widened streets and expanded waterfront areas. However, it was rejected because the city needed a quicker and more practical solution to accommodate its rapid growth.

How did the city of Philadelphia's grid system differ from New York’s?

Philadelphia's grid system, designed by William Penn in 1681, was based on Quaker ideals, emphasizing moral right angles, communal gardens, and open spaces. It was intended to reflect an idealized, utopian vision, in contrast to New York’s more practical approach.

What was the significance of the 1811 grid plan for New York?

The 1811 grid plan was significant because it introduced a clear, rectangular layout designed to accommodate New York's booming population. It was chosen for its simplicity and practicality, allowing for rapid expansion and construction in the city.

Why did city planners favor a grid system over other designs, like circles or ovals?

City planners favored the grid system because it was efficient, cheap to build, and easy to navigate. It allowed for predictability in development and avoided the complexity and cost of other designs, like circular streets or ornamental layouts.

What cultural and historical influences shaped the design of other cities like Savannah and Washington, DC?

Savannah’s design was influenced by Enlightenment ideals, emphasizing balance and community with public squares. Washington, DC’s design by Pierre L’Enfant incorporated grand avenues, circles, and squares, symbolizing the ambitions of the young American republic.

What role did population growth play in the adoption of the New York City grid?

Population growth in New York was a key factor in adopting the grid system. The city's population more than doubled between 1770 and 1790, creating a pressing need for a more organized and efficient way to manage urban expansion and infrastructure.

How did the grid system reflect the values of early 19th-century New York?

The grid system reflected New York's values of growth, practicality, and efficiency. At the time, the city was focused on rapid development to accommodate its expanding population, and the grid offered a straightforward solution that could be easily scaled.

What were some criticisms of New York's grid system, according to Frederick Olmsted?

Frederick Olmsted, the designer of Central Park, criticized the grid for being too rigid and lacking in aesthetic appeal. He believed that a more organic street layout could have avoided some of the city's later problems, such as overcrowding and poor air circulation.

What does the development of New York's grid tell us about urban planning priorities in the 19th century?

The development of New York’s grid system highlights the 19th-century priorities of efficiency, economic growth, and practicality. The focus was on building quickly and cheaply to accommodate a rapidly growing urban population, with little concern for ornamental design or long-term aesthetic considerations.