Checkerboard urbanization
The visual imprint of federal policy in Chicago
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21247598 |
|---|---|
| Authors | R Vargas (0000-0003-4701-607X, University of Chicago, corresponding author), David Hackett (University of Chicago) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Pages | 1785-1787 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environment and Planning B Urban Analytics and City Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2399-8083 • E-ISSN: 2399-8091 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/23998083251330363 |
| OpenAlex | W4408891928 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 1 |
Using digitized records from the U.S. General Land Office, we produce a time series map of land sales in early Chicago from 1810 to 1890. The graphic illuminates a checkerboard pattern of land sales adjacent to the Chicago River, which stemmed from a Congressional Act in 1827 funding the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Urban historians credit canal construction with positioning Chicago as a hub for global trade. Our graphic, based on historical geospatial data, visualizes and confirms the role of federal intervention and global trade in Chicago’s urbanization
Cartography · Economic growth · Economics · Geography · Geospatial analysis · Political science · Regional science · Urbanization · American History and Culture · Financial Crisis of the 21st Century · Photography and Visual Culture · Public Administration
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |