Planners Largely Absent From '100 Most Influential Americans' List

The Atlantic magazine has released its list of the top 100 most influential figures in American history. The field of planning is sparingly represented.

1 minute read

December 7, 2006, 12:00 PM PST

By Nate Berg

Compiled by a panel of 10 historians, The Atlantic's list of the 100 most influential figures in American history includes pretty much everyone you think would be there. Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson top the list. Martin Luther King, Jr., Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas Paine also made the cut.

But the field of urban planning didn't get too much notice in this list. However, three people who ranked in the top 100 are affiliated closely enough with planning for planners to claim them as their representation.

The three honorees are park pioneer Frederick Law Olmsted, who came in at 49; housing and social activist Jane Addams, who is ranked 64; and architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who placed 76.

Chicago and Washington D.C. planner Daniel Burnham and 19th century suburban philosopher A.J. Downing were also recognized in a separate two-person list of the most influential architects.

FULL STORY: The Top 100

Friday, December 1, 2006 in The Atlantic

History / Preservation United States

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