The legislature appointed a commission with sweeping powers in 1807, and their plan was presented in 1811. The plan originated when the Common Council of New York City, seeking to provide for the orderly development and sale of the land of Manhattan between 14th Street and Washington Heights, but unable to do so itself for reasons of local politics and objections from property owners, asked the New York State Legislature to step in. Often named one of the most important documents in New York City's development, the map is often considered far-reaching and visionary for its time. The Commissioners' Plan of 1811 was the original design for the streets of Manhattan above Houston Street, which utilized the rectangular grid plan of streets that created the base for the modern plan of Manhattan. In turn, the most important map of New York published after the American Revolution was created. But as the city’s population grew exponentially, tripling between 17, the state legislature appointed three commissioners to establish a plan that would prepare for and regulate the city’s anticipated growth northward. Individuals built streets around private land boundaries and natural barriers such as creeks, creating a tangle of roads familiar to anyone who has explored neighborhoods like Greenwich Village. Early Manhattan grew organically as inhabitants settled the southern tip of an island replete with hills, cliffs, streams, and wetlands.
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