Interweaving country and city in the urban design of Savannah, Georgia

Abstract

Abstract The city of Savannah, Georgia, has been praised for its harmonious blend of rural and urban qualities. What is often forgotten, however, is that the urban plan that was finally realised in the nineteenth century differs fundamentally from the original plan created by James Oglethorpe. The changes made to the plan over about a century, moreover, reflect not only demographic and economic realities, but also changing attitudes about the relationship between the rural and the urban. This paper explores the transformation of the Savannah plan from the end of Trustee rule to the middle of the nineteenth century by focusing on the use of the town common as an expansion zone, the replication of wards and squares, and its systematic tree-planting programme. Savannah's urban plan and its garden-like qualities are as much products of this long process of transformation as they are of the founders' original vision. The resulting plan offers a model for weaving together city and country that is compelling and deserving of careful study by contemporary urban designers.