„Pfadabhängigkeiten und Entwicklungspfade“. Zwei Konzepte stadtgeschichtlicher Forschung

Abstract

The article discusses the challenges and potential of the two concepts of path-dependency and trajectories for the study of urban history. It states that in contrast to other social sciences these approaches have not been extensively used in urban studies and argues that the strong theoretical ambition and the vocabulary of the concepts might be reasons for this situation. Next, it claims that a clear differentiation between the two approaches of path-dependency and trajectories and an explicit reference to clear cut empirical objects are of essential importance for the use of these concepts in urban history. The two following chapters discuss the value of the concepts for empirical research along the case of water infrastructures in the city of Strasbourg in the late 19th century and with regard to industrial cities in the 20th century.