Introduction: Toward an Urban History of Science

Abstract

This essay calls for an urban history of science that unites the history of science and urban history. Focusing on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, it emphasizes the active role cities play in shaping both scientific practice and scientific knowledge. Furthermore, the essay argues that cities themselves have to be viewed-at least partially-as mediated by science. Four interconnections of science and the city are discussed: the relationship between scientific expertise and urban politics, science's role in the cultural representation of the city, the embedment of scientific activity in the social and material infrastructure of the city, and the interaction between science and urban everyday life.