Planning the City Upon a Hill: Boston Since 1630 [Hardcover]

Lawrence W. Kennedy (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Kennedy (history, Boston Coll.) presents a plausible and detailed study depicting Boston as a carefully planned city. Weaving together economic, political, social, cultural, architectural, and urban planning history, he outlines the early organization of the town based on capitalist concerns; Charles Bulfinch's contributions to the design of public buildings and neighborhoods; the 19th-century creation of Quincy Market, the new South End, and the filled-in Back Bay; and the 20th-century "City Beautiful" movement. Drawing on the work of Boston urban historians Walter Whitehill and Sam Bass Warner, as well as countless primary and secondary sources, Kennedy balances a wealth of pertinent detail, comparisons with the history of other cities, and carefully chosen maps and aerial views to create a scholarly and well-written tome that will serve as a standard in the history of American urban planning. Highly recommended.
- Kathleen Eagen Johnson, Historic Hudson Valley, Tarrytown, N.Y.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 328 pages
• Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press (June 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870237802
• ISBN-13: 978-0870237805
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,712,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 20th century Boston city planing, April 7, 2000

By 

Angela (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Planning the City upon a Hill: Boston Since 1630 (Paperback)

Kennedy's research for this book was funded by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) for whom he also served as consulting historian. Hence, the strength of this book lies in its focus on city planning in the 20th century.

The first 100 pages are devoted to the period from 1630-1900, but anybody with a special interest in that period is better off with Walter Muir Whitehill's "Boston - A Topographical History".

Kennedy's writing about the 20th century also is more animated. Chapers follow administration (Fitzgerald, Curley, Collins, White & Flynn) and Kennedy gives a very readable account of the development of urban city planning in Boston and how it has been helped (and hindered) by politics. As is to be expected, the City Planning Board's and BRA's history and involvement in planning are treated in some detail.