American Cultural Landscapes: An Introduction to the History of the Built Environment

The cultural landscape in the United States, a combination of natural and built environments, has evolved through decisions about the use of land and natural resources, the planning of towns, the development of transportation and infrastructure, and the promotion of various building types and architectural styles. After a brief review of Native American and colonial settlement patterns, the first portion of this lecture course surveys the growth of towns and cities between 1800 and 1920. The second portion examines 1920 to 2000, when residential and commercial activities shift away from city centers into diffuse, automobile-dependent metropolitan regions. Students are required to complete several brief writing assignments and one 15-page term paper. The instructor teaches the graduate discussion section. (This course satisfies the M.Arch. I Urbanism and Landscape elective requirement.)