Urban History as a Research Tool

I am currently in the early stages of my thesis research, and already I am reminded of the impact location has on how the past is shaped and history told. Environments impact our identities. Not only does location influence behavior, customs, habits, communication, and lifestyle, where one lives and how they live is a fundamental part of individual identity. The lesson here: urban history reflects social history. 

Last winter, I read Delores Hayden's book, The Power of Place, as part of my coursework. Though the book was written in 1997, it is a good look at case studies for public historians looking to work with minority histories in urban areas. “The politics of identity," Hayden explains, "are an inescapable and important aspect of dealing with the urban built environment, from the perspectives of public history, urban preservation, and urban design." (Hayden, 7) While sociologists look at how urban environments influence people, there is more to the story of a city than its effect on people. 

Maps are one way in which historians can understand how environment shapes the history left behind.
Map from the Washington State Digital Archives

Public historians in particular should look at urban landscapes as clues to the past. As Hayden explains, “identity is intimately tied with memory” as personal identity often connects to collective community memory. “Urban Landscapes are storehouses for these social memories,” argues Hayden, “because natural features such as hills or harbors, as well as streets, buildings and patterns of settlement, frame the lives of many people and often outlast many lifetimes." (Hayden, 9) In other words, urban landscapes are artifacts that historians can include in their research, as it leaves valuable clues to people and their history.


Discovering the ways in which a city is designed and how it is built gives historians valuable insight into the thinking of city officials, the behavior of inhabitants, and the economic and cultural impacts at different periods in time. One of my current projects is developing a tour of Spokane's ghost signs (the faded advertisements still seen on the sides of brick buildings). Only recently did I realize that these signs not only emphasized what they were advertising, they gave clues as to the earlier structure of Spokane's growing city. 

Sometimes looking on a map isn't enough to fully understand the history of a city. Sometimes you have to go exploring, and remember that the environment around you has just as many clues to the past as traditional go-to research sources.