Editing Philadelphias Grid Plan (section)

== Origins and Design ==

Penn's design for Philadelphia reflected both practical considerations and his idealistic vision for his "Holy Experiment." Having experienced the Great Fire of London in 1666, which destroyed much of the crowded medieval city, Penn was determined to create an urban environment that would resist fire and disease. He envisioned Philadelphia as a "greene countrie towne" where each house would stand in the middle of its lot, surrounded by gardens and orchards, preventing the spread of flames and providing fresh air and sunlight. Wide streets would allow for traffic and airflow, while the regular grid would facilitate navigation and lot division. These practical concerns combined with Penn's Quaker values of order, simplicity, and equality to produce a city plan unlike any in the European tradition.<ref name="weigley">{{cite book |last=Weigley |first=Russell F. |title=Philadelphia: A 300-Year History |year=1982 |publisher=W.W. Norton |location=New York}}</ref>

Penn worked with Thomas Holme, an Irish Quaker surveyor, to translate his vision into a workable plan. Holme arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682 and immediately began laying out the city according to Penn's instructions. The original plan covered approximately two square miles between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, bounded on the north by Vine Street and on the south by Cedar Street (now South Street). Streets running east-west were named for trees and plants—Chestnut, Walnut, Spruce, Pine, Locust, Cherry, Arch (originally Mulberry)—while streets running north-south were numbered, increasing from the Delaware River westward. This naming convention, simple and systematic, reflected Penn's Quaker preference for plainness over the aristocratic naming practices of European cities.<ref name="holme">{{cite journal |last=Holme |first=Thomas |title=A Map of the Improved Part of Pennsylvania in America |year=1687 |publisher=London}}</ref>