American Cultural Landscapes

The cultural landscape in the United States puzzles observers who try to decode unwise decisions about land use and energy, haphazard planning for transportation and infrastructure, and vigorous promotion of various vernacular building types. Politics, real estate speculation, and popular culture are part of the mix. After a brief review of Native American and colonial settlements, this lecture course surveys the growth of towns and cities between 1800 and 1920, then examines the shift between 1920 and the present, when residential and commercial activities move away from city centers into diffuse, automobile-dependent metropolitan regions. Students complete one brief writing assignment and one fifteen-page paper.