“In Boston town of old renown, the gentle cows the pathway made, which grew the streets that keep the stranger quite dismayed”

The old rhyme may exaggerate how Boston’s famously winding streets came to be, but it captures the spirit of this course: cities shaped as much by history, culture, and chance as by careful planning.

This six-week series explores how five major colonial American cities—Boston, New York, Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C.—were founded, designed, and transformed over time. Through illustrated lectures, we’ll trace their growth from fledgling settlements to modern cities, examining how European planning ideals were adapted in the New World.

Beginning with an overview of influential European city models, each session connects Old World precedents to the civic visions, street plans, and evolving identities of colonial America’s most enduring urban centers.

Mondays | 6 classes, April 6 - May 11 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
In person and simulcast