Another city: urban life and urban spaces in the new American republic/ by Dell Upton

Part I. The lived city: Cities of perpetual ruin and repair ; The relics of civilized life ; The smell of danger ; Noise and gabble ; Seeing and believing --
Part II. Metropolitan improvements: The grid and the republican spatial imagination ; Gridding consumption ; Permutations of the pigeonhole : architecture as memory ; Gridding the graveyard ; Gridded utopias --
Part III. Public spaces and private citizens: On the waterfront ; In public walks.

"In this unique exploration of the early history of urban architecture and design, leading architectural historian Dell Upton reveals the fascinating confluence of sociological, cultural, and psychological factors that shaped American cities in the antebellum years." "Through contemporary travel accounts, diaries, and correspondence, as well as maps, architectural drawings, paintings, and prints - many previously unpublished - Upton investigates not only how buildings were designed, streets were laid out, and urban space was put to use, but also why. He offers original insights into the way cities were imagined, and an extensive selection of illustrations re-creates the various features of the urban landscape in the nineteenth century."--Jacket.