Planning the City upon a Hill: Boston Since 1630

Rating:
Summary: 20th century Boston city planing
Review: Kennedy's research for this book was funded by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) for whom he also served as consulting historian. Hence, the strength of this book lies in its focus on city planning in the 20th century.

The first 100 pages are devoted to the period from 1630-1900, but anybody with a special interest in that period is better off with Walter Muir Whitehill's "Boston - A Topographical History".

Kennedy's writing about the 20th century also is more animated. Chapers follow administration (Fitzgerald, Curley, Collins, White & Flynn) and Kennedy gives a very readable account of the development of urban city planning in Boston and how it has been helped (and hindered) by politics. As is to be expected, the City Planning Board's and BRA's history and involvement in planning are treated in some detail.