Roads Designed for Pleasure A Brief History of the Origins of Scenic Driving and Automobile Touring in the United States
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2011-06-01
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Abstract:The National Scenic Byways Program is the most recent accomplishment in a long history of ideas and movements designed to satisfy the innate need Americans have to explore their nation beyond the next horizon. America’s Byways identify the best routes to the most interesting scenic, natural, recreational, historical, cultural, and archaeological wonders, and curiosities, that we, as an adventurous people, have always sought to discover and examine for ourselves. This article will introduce the origins of the modern byways movement by examining the history and evolution of pleasure driving in the United States. The article will argue that our broad definition of byways today, based on six intrinsic qualities, is rooted in eighteenth-century origins of scenic analysis and pleasure driving that arose from a new appreciation for the natural landscape during the Age of Enlightenment. The article will also show that many of our modern highway concepts, from innovations in pavement technology to advancements in engineering, are directly tied to the design and construction of nineteenth-century pleasure drives and early twentieth-century automobile parkways—both ultimately laying the foundation for our modern interstate system and solidifying our appreciation of driving for pleasure.
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Content Notes:This PDF was downloaded from FHWA's Highway History website: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/history.cfm.
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