Mobility and the Small Town 1900-1930
The arrival of the automobile and good roads from 1900 to 1930 brought significant changes to small towns and the whole settlement system. The Model T made the automobile accessible to most Americans, and the new group of drivers successfully lobbied for better roads. The resulting expanded mobility changed towns in many ways, only some of which were anticipated, and refined the advantages and disadvantages of different size towns for economic and social functions. In response, these places needed to redefine and promote their identities. Join Norm Moline to examine these changes, which were only the beginning of the major changes in settlement patterns caused by the automobile in subsequent decades.
Norman Moline holds a PhD from the University of Chicago and is the Edward Hamming Professor of Geography at Augustana College. His research interests include Historical Geography of the US, Urban Planning and Land Use Planning, as well as East Asian studies. He has published a book, book chapters, and articles about the historical geography of Illinois and the Midwest.
