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Philadelphia-three ages of a city

by
American Society of Civil Engineers

Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 1977, Vol. 47, Issue 13, Pg. 108-120


Document Type: Feature article

Abstract:

On these pages are the profiles of the City of Brotherly Love in three eras. First come the founding years, and the story of why, though only half as old as Boston and New York, by 1750 Philadelphia became the colonies' most populous metropolitan area. Second is the era of 1776-1876, during which she was the birthplace of a remarkable number of civil engineering firsts-in bridges, tunnels, canal systems, railroads. But it was a civil engineering work elsewhere-New York state's Erie Canal-that enabled that city to pass Philadelphia in size after 1825. Philly was home of the 1876 Centennial Exposition, here described. Third story is about the city's current attempts to remain healthy and grow, when many big, old, industrial cities are in decline.

Subject Headings: Urban areas | Railroad bridges | Canals | Bridge engineering | Tunnels | Systems engineering | Rail transportation

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