Blocked arteries: circulation and congestion in history

For centuries congestion has constituted a significant part of the travelling experience of peoples within and between cities, regions and nations. Meanwhile, for governments and planners, congestion has emerged as both a technical and cultural construct, influencing the interaction and circulation of populations and the ways in which transport and related infrastructures have developed. Societies have devised new methods and ways of dealing with mobility and congestion, ranging from discouraging the use of motorcars in central areas (such as the congestion charge in London) to the construction of state-of-the-art infrastructures and sophisticated mapping and forecast models.

The aim of the conference is to examine the ways in which congestion has been, and continues to be, a problem as well as an inherent characteristic of the historical development of cities and regions worldwide, particularly in their relation to commercial, financial, industrial, tourist and other networks. Our purpose is also to promote an exchange across disciplines and engage with current policy debates.
Papers will explore circulation and congestion in a variety of geographical contexts and historical periods: from Classical Rome to railways in Imperial Russia through to the introduction of the motorcar in cities across North and South America, Australia and Europe.