Galena, Illinois : urban land use change and development of a mid-western mining town, (1820-1980)

Includes bibliographical references (pages [75]-77)This study analyzes past trends, present conditions and future forecasts of the urban land use and development pattern in central Galena, Illinois. Early urban growth (1820-1850) occurred in several detached centers and progressed rapidly as a result of economic prosperity and fast population growth, After the 1850's building activities were limited to selected vacant areas, and functional reorientation of many city lots became more apparent. Today the central city functions as a small retail and limited manufacturing center. The main commercial and industrial area lies in the Galena river's historic flood plain and the tributary valleys and gentle slopes have given significant identity to residential uses. Developments in the future are aimed to improve circulation in and around the central business district and to provide new commercial/recreational facilities. One of the principal objectives is to preserve the harmonious combination of aesthetic and historic values which are considered to be the city's greatest asset in building up a new tourist industry. The information used in this study was obtained from literary sources, field surveys and personal interviews. The primary source for early land use data was a series of Sanborn Insurance Maps; more recent data was compiled from direct observations. In order to achieve some comparability among different maps land use data was uniformly classified whenever possible. The study concludes that Galena's pattern of development and the spatial distribution and functional reorientation of land use, both in the past and present, are by and large the result of environmental, social and economic factors combined.M.S. (Master of Science