Town planning in New Castle, Delaware, 1797-1838

Abstract

From 1797 until 1838, the small town of New Castle, Delaware undertook a series of rare experiments in town planning. During these years, its leaders developed a written plan for enhancing New Castle’s appearance, solving drainage and transportation problems, stimulating and regulating new construction, and providing a firm foundation for future growth. New Castle’s town plan began with a rather crude survey and a basic set of regulations, progressed through a variety of changes and additions, and was completed in 1805 with a very detailed and sophisticated supplement written under the supervision of the famous architect and engineer Benjamin Henry Latrobe. ☐ By draining and filling surrounding marshes, reshaping the land, and building new roads, Latrobe’s plan would have tripled the size of the town and doubled the amount of waterfront land for building wharves. But the plan was destined to fail. The history of town planning in New Castle is a tale of grandiose schemes tempered with struggle and frustration. All of New Castle’s hopes for expansion were dashed in 1838 when it was bypassed by a new railroad line. ☐ This paper examines the reasons behind the creation of New Castle’s town plan, the struggles through which the town leaders tried to enforce and improve it, the impact it would have had, and the reasons for its failure. New Castle’s experiment in town planning is a rare early example of a practice that now plays an ever-increasing role in American life. By studying the process of town planning in its early stages, historians can better understand one of the forces which have shaped modern urban America.