SHIXIN LI
This article is talking about how did Manhattan’s street lay out like a grid. This idea was coming almost 200 years ago. In the past, Manhattan was the island of hills, until 1806, Ferdinad R.Hassler hired by city, and he produced a “correct survey and map”.
Even though after the map came true, and became the layout of Manhattan, there were still many people complained this idea. However, this layout still surprised many people. It was very interesting that the angle of the grid has been rotated about 29 degrees, so that the street won’t heading into the rivers, and allowed traffic could go through the whole island from uptown to downtown.
This plan also provided for a reservoir, a market, but only few parks. The grids made the streets go through the whole island from river to river. Streets run from east to west, the Avenues run from south to north. Based on other research mentioned that, Fifth Avenue was so important to Manhattan because Fifth Avenue was Manhattan’s central line. It almost divided the island exactly into two equal parts.
Now, in the modern day, the grid of Manhattan is successful, it make the NYC traffic more easier, and let people easily remember the direction in Manhattan.
