Atlanta and Chicago: Searching for the planning imperative, 1900--1930 (Georgia, Illinois)

"Atlanta and Chicago: Searching for the Planning Imperative" examines how city planning became a tool for middle-class activists to shape urban space. Between 1900 and 1930 elite and middle-class men and women used an aesthetic planning framework to manage urban development. In Chicago, reformers sought to displace congested urban neighborhoods with inspiring streets, buildings, and parks intended to bolster civic pride. In Atlanta, proponents used urban beautification to challenge municipal leaders to widen street, pursue viaduct construction, and expand park space to further Atlanta's New South image. In both cities, reformers addressed congestion, health, and civic identity through city planning. Planning commissions in both cities used municipal police power to protect the community and challenge sacrosanct property rights. By considering the advocacy surrounding city planning, my study explains how civilizing public space offered fiscal and moral justification for urban land use and development policy in the early twentieth century.