Editing Penns Original Plan (section)

== Legacy ==

Penn's plan established precedents that influenced American city planning for centuries. The grid pattern, five-square system, and rational street naming all appeared in subsequent city plans, from James Oglethorpe's Savannah to the commissioners' plan for New York City. Philadelphia demonstrated that planned cities could accommodate growth while maintaining order, an important lesson for a nation that would build thousands of new communities. The plan's success encouraged confidence in rational planning that persisted through the City Beautiful movement and into contemporary urban design.<ref name="weigley"/>

The plan's legacy in Philadelphia itself remains visible in Center City's regular streets and surviving squares. While subsequent eras added diagonal boulevards, transportation infrastructure, and tall buildings that Penn could not have imagined, the underlying grid continues to organize movement and development. The plan's persistence demonstrates both its practical utility and its symbolic importance—Philadelphia's grid represents founding intentions that the city continues to honor through preservation and adaptation.<ref name="gallery"/>