City water, city life: water and the infrastructure of ideas in urbanizing Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago

摘要

For cities, water supply is both boon and bane. An essential precondition for the establishment and expansion of nearly every city in history, water has also proven a dangerously efficient vector of lethal disease. Water has long been a coveted possession, guarded closely by armies and politicians alike. It comes as no surprise that American cities have struggled for decades to ensure a safe and predictable water supply.