My first photos (35mm Kodachrome slides) of historic pavement, taken in Toronto in 1986. I remember being fascinated at the old pavement revealed by the failing asphalt.

Site author Robin Williams in front of one of the several impressively preserved brick intersections in the German Village neighbourhood of Columbus, Ohio, a city that boasts more preserved streets than any other city in the country (with the possib… — Site author Robin Williams in front of one of the several impressively preserved brick intersections in the German Village neighbourhood of Columbus, Ohio, a city that boasts more preserved streets than any other city in the country (with the possible exception of St. Petersburg, Florida).

SITE AUTHOR

Robin B. Williams, Ph.D.

Since the 1980s, my research has focused on the forces shaping modern cities, from politics and social pressures to changes in technology.

I have been fascinated by old pavement since I was a child, when I would relieve the monotony of walking three-quarters of a mile to my elementary school in my hometown of Toronto, Canada, by trying to find the oldest contractor stamps in concrete sidewalks. My scholarly interest in pavement was piqued in Savannah by the unusual triangular patterns of asphalt blocks around the squares in downtown Savannah, with formal research into pavement beginning in 2009. A single piece of pavement served as a symbol of global trade for the 9th Savannah Symposium: The Architecture of Trade, which I co-directed -- "Savannah's Chinese Cobblestone". See below for a complete list of my publications, conference papers and presentations on pavement and related topics.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Although my interest in studying street pavement developed in response to the remarkable diversity and generous extent of historic pavement surviving in Savannah, my pursuit of a broader study was encouraged initially by Dr. Robert Breugmann at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Support for research trips provided by a SCAD Faculty Sabbatical Grant, 2016, and a SCAD Faculty Presidential Fellowship, 2017.

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS, CONFERENCE PAPERS AND PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS ON PAVEMENT AND RELATED TOPICS BY ROBIN B. WILLIAMS

PUBLICATIONS

Peer-Reviewed Publications:

Robin B. Williams, "The Global Spread of Street Pavement Materials and Technology, 1820-1920," in Infrastructure Designs: Global Perspectives from Architectural History, ed. Joseph Heathcott (Routledge, 2022), 211-221.

Robin B. Williams, “Hand-Made Streets: The Role of Labor in Making, Installing and Maintaining Street Pavement Prior to the Dominance of Asphalt,” People-Works: The Labor of Transport Online Exhibit, T2M Mobility in Transportation Blog, Exhibit Guest Editor Kate McDonald – Nov. 2018.

Robin B. Williams, “`A well-paved city’: Variety, locality and modernity in paving Savannah’s streets,” ARRIS: Journal of the Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians 24 (2013): 20-39.

Peer Reviewed Book Review:

Robin B. Williams, Review of Amy Finstein, Modern Mobility Aloft: Elevated Highways, Architecture, and Urban Change in Pre-Interstate America (Philadelphia, Rome, Tokyo: Temple University Press, 2020) for Buildings and Landscapes: Journal of the Vernacular Architecture Forum 30.1-2 (Spring-Fall 2023): 154-156.

Magazine and Online Articles:

Robin B. Williams, “Historic Pavement in Georgia’s Cities: A Preservation Challenge,” The Rambler [Quarterly publication of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation] 44 (Fall 2018), 11-12.

Robin B. Williams, "Why Preserve Historic Pavements?" Everything Roads by RoadBotics Blog, August 2018.

Robin B. Williams, “Neglected Heritage Beneath Our Feet: Documenting Historic Street and Sidewalk Pavement Across America,” The Cultural Landscape Foundation website, December 2016.

CONFERENCE PAPERS:

Society of Architectural Historians 2022 Annual International Conference, Pittsburgh: “Controlling Mobility: Pavement and American Streets Before 1920,” Apr. 28, 2022.

Southeast Chapter, Society of Architectural Historians (SESAH) 2021 Annual Conference, Natchez, MS: “Signs of Urban Change: Localized Solutions in the Design, Materiality and Placement of Early Street Name Signage,” Oct. 1, 2021.

Vernacular Architecture Forum 2019 Annual Conference, Philadelphia: “Municipal Infrastructure as Social Construct: How Street Pavement Experiments before 1930 Resulted from Civic Progressivists, Citizen Engagement and Skilled Craftsmanship,” June 1, 2019.

Urban History Association Nineth Biennial Conference, Columbia, SC: "Contested Infrastructure: The Economic and Social Struggles over Street Pavement," October 19, 2018.

Preserving the Historic Road 2018 Conference, Fort Collins, CO: “Towards More Robust Municipal Pavement Preservation Ordinances,” Sep. 14, 2018.

Congress for New Urbanism Annual Meeting, Savannah, Open Innovations Session: “The Place-Making Power of Pavement,” May 18, 2018.

2018 Urban Planning Conference -- Resilience Planning: Building Healthier, More Equitable and Vibrant Communities, Savannah: “Resilient Streets: The Environmental, Economic, Health and Cultural Benefits of Historic Pavement Forms,” Mar. 30, 2018.

Southeast Chapter, Society of Architectural Historians (SESAH) Annual Conference, Lynchburg, VA: "Mapping Progress: The Technological, Social and Regional Implications of Historic Street Pavement Maps," Oct. 12, 2017.

TEDxSavannah 2017, Bridge: “How Historic Street Paving Modernized the City,” May 19, 2017.

Panelist, “Unfolding Perspectives in Preservation: a panel discussion,” College of Charleston, Feb. 11, 2017.

2016 Urban Planning Conference - Planning across Generations: Deconstructing the Past, Shaping the Future, Savannah: “Savannah’s Remarkable Historic Street and Sidewalk Pavement and the Challenge of Preservation,” Apr. 1, 2016.

Preservation Plain and Simple Conference, Lincoln, Nebraska: “History, Significance and Preservation of Brick Streets,” May 1, 2015.

Preserving the Historic Road Conference, Savannah: Mobile Workshop, “History Under Your Feet: Savannah’s Historic Pavements,” Sep. 26, 2014.

Southeast Chapter, Society of Architectural Historians (SESAH) Annual Conference, Jackson, MS: “The Curious Case of Savannah Pavement,” Oct. 29, 2009.

INVITED PUBLIC LECTURES:

City of Fernandina Beach, Florida, Amelia Island Museum of History, “How Historic Pavements Contribute to a Sense of Place,” August 14, 2023.

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Savannah chapter, “Savannah’s Remarkable but Threatened Historic Street and Sidewalk Pavements,” February 1, 2023.

The Learning Center of Senior Citizens, Savannah: “Savannah Traces: Vestiges of Urban Change,” September 18, 2019.

Friends of Massie Lecture Series, Savannah: "Protecting our Streets: An Update on Historic Pavements in Savannah and Beyond,” Oct. 10, 2018.

Telfair Art Guild, Savannah: “Savannah's Neglected History Underfoot: Appreciating the City's Historic Street and Sidewalk Pavement and Landscaping,” Mar. 12, 2018.

Savannah Victorian Society: “Neglected History Underfoot: Appreciating Savannah’s Historic Street and Sidewalk Pavement,” Nov. 14, 2017.

Friends of Massie Lecture Series, Savannah: “History Underfoot: Appreciating the Significance of Savannah’s Street and Sidewalk Pavement,” Jan. 24, 2017.

The Learning Center of Senior Citizens, Savannah: "Savannah's Progressive Streets: Understanding the Significance of Historic Street Pavements," July 15, 2015.

City of Savannah government staff: “`A Well-Paved City’: Why Savannah’s Historic Street Pavements Matter,” Dec. 5, 2013. Presentation repeated for Savannah government staff on Jan. 21, 2014.