Roberta J. Magnusson, "Urban Infrastructure in Medieval England: Sustainability and Resilience" (Johns Hopkins UP, 2026)

In

the bustling market towns and growing cities of medieval England

between 1200 and 1600, public works were the lifelines of urban society.

In Urban Infrastructure in Medieval England: Sustainability and Resilience (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2026), Dr. Roberta J. Magnusson offers

the first comprehensive study of how medieval towns built, financed,

and sustained their defenses, bridges, streets, water systems, and harbors.

Dr.

Magnusson reveals how even modest communities, like the Warwickshire

town of Atherstone, boldly pursued projects that reshaped their futures.

Grants of tolls and taxes funded paving initiatives, bridge repairs,

and fortified walls, while enterprising lords and abbots sponsored

sluices, conduits, and quays. These efforts were not confined to