ABSTRACT
On its own, the demand by industry for new spaces is necessary but not sufficient to explain the spread of North American cities. The study of North American urbanization requires a model that begins with the simultaneous march of industry and cities outward, rather than a two-stage process of building a dense concentration of activities in the core over the nineteenth century and then decanting them in the twentieth. Property capital’s imprint on the suburban landscape can be discerned in various ways, including the shape of lot sizes, building placement, construction type, infrastructure, and improvements. This contributes to the array of urban forms that constitute the everyday vernacular landscape of the city, as well as to striking elements of homogenization across the North American urban system. At the burgeoning edges of the metropolis are found a full panoply of workplaces, homes, infrastructure, and commerce that make up the economy and life of the city.
