Enlightenment-era Urban Planning in the Cities of New Spain and Its Impact around the Pacific = 新西班牙城市啟蒙規劃及其對太平洋地區之影響

Abstract

Under the influence of Enlightenment ideas, new concepts of city building gradually formed. At that time, the kingdom of Spain and her colonial authorities reorganized their urban districts and administered the respective residents according to these new concepts. To take Nueva España (New Spain) as an example, by the second half of the 18th century, a number of cities including Mexico City, Guadalajara and Puebla de los Ángeles had already begun their transition from older systems of organization into more modernized cities. This research focuses on two major colonial cities: Mexico City and Manila. We compare and contrast the urban planning measures adopted for the two cities. This then enables us to analyze the urbanization policies implemented in cities under New Spain’s jurisdiction since the latter half of the 18th century, which were built on the foundation of decades-long experience of running colonies. We shall then explore the effects these policies had upon the colonial cities and regions.