European Urban Cartography 16th-19th Century

The 16th through the 19th century witnessed expansion and mechanization of cities and their maps evolving from the Age of Discovery and the invention of the printing press to the Industrial Revolution. Maps are not objective vehicles of data. They are tools combining planning, documenting, and governing while also being artistic and symbolic form in their own right. The first half of the semester covers different techniques of cartography and the major cartographers of the period across countries. The second half focuses on case study cities and their most famous maps (Rome, Paris, London, New York).