In the years between 1668 and 1751, the government of Maryland envisioned an urban development program unrivaled in scope by any other colony except Virginia. Unwilling to allow development to occur naturally, both the Lord Proprietor and the legislature tried to create towns, ignoring the social, economic, and topographic realities that would doom most of them to short lives. The background of Maryland’s attempt at urbanization is complex and perplexing....