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The following activities engage students in a number of ways that let them discover how city planning, past and present, relates to their lives.

Activity 1: Draw the City Plan of Savannah
Have students create the basic module of Savannah's town plan--the ward--with all its divisions.

1. The suggested scale for this activity is: 1/8 inch equals 10 feet.

• North/South edge of a ward = 675 feet
  
• Each North/South edge includes:
  10 House Lots, each 60 feet wide and
  1 broad avenue, 75 feet wide.
• East/West edge of a ward = 675 feet
• Each East/West edge includes:
  4 House Lots, each 90 feet wide
  2 Trustee lots, each 60 feet wide
  1 broad avenue, 75 feet wide
  2 streets bordering the Trustee lots, each 22 ½ feet wide
  2 streets (dividing each tything), each 37 ½ feet wide
  

3. Begin by using a ruler, pencil, and straight edge to mark off a square whose sides each measure 675 feet. This represents the outline of your ward, which will be divided into 4 tythings. Using a ruler, mark the above measurements for house lots, Trustee lots, and streets along each side of your square. From here connect the marks using a straight edge. When finished, label the various areas: Tythings, Trustee lots, streets, broad avenue and square. When you finish, the square, the open space, which is central to all Savannah wards, should be clearly in the middle of your module.

Activity 2: Then and Now in Your Town
Few cities in America retain their original design like Savannah. Remind students that their generation will be the next stewards, or guardians, of your town's history. Instruct students to analyze the development of the town in which they live or of one nearby through maps. You may decide to divide them into teams or pairs and coordinate with the local library, historical society, or land records office so that the research facilities are prepared for the students.

1. Each team should locate two maps of the town, one which is current and one that dates to an earlier time period, preferably at least 50 years before the current map.

2. Once the teams have copies of the two maps, ask them to compare the differences in the town as shown in the earlier and later map. Things to consider include:

• Have open spaces, such as parks, remained constant or have previously natural or open spaces been developed?
• Has the central area of the town changed?
• Has the business district changed?
• Which map has more roads? Explain why.
• Are there areas where little or no change has taken place?
• Is the town more developed in the current map than in the historic map?

3. Ask team members to compare the maps as documents, not just for their geographical content. They should compare the style and presentation of information on the two maps, including differences in wording, scale, and compass rose/north indicator.

4. After the teams have shared their findings, ask the class to discuss which areas have changed the most and which have changed the least. Ask them to analyze the pattern of change in their community. What conditions accounted for these changes? What is the present condition of the unchanged areas? Do these areas represent an important part of the town's history and, if so, should they be reserved for future generations? Debate whether the town's historic area could be nominated to the National Register of Historic Places.