ABSTRACT
The technology of urbanization in the United States has had much in common with that of Europe, and in many cases European precedents were adopted. However, the pattern of urbanization and the built environments of individual cities have been quite distinct from European models. That this is the case is perhaps hardly surprising, given the size 1 and geographical diversity of the USA, with its abundant resources. The timing of city-building in relation both to emerging nationhood and to developments in technology was also very different from that of Europe. For students of the relationship between cities and technology, this immediately raises questions about the role of technology in the development of US cities. How did the role of technology vary from place to place in relation to local cultural, economic, political, organizational and social circumstances, including the constraints of physical geography, and individual perceptions and preferences?
