At the end of World War II, SOM undertook what would be one of its foundational urban design projects: creating a plan for the “atom bomb city” of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. For the bucolic site, SOM conceived a well-orchestrated network of roads lined with prefabricated homes, dormitories, schools, and stores. The master plan marked both an important step in the evolution of American urban planning and a catalyzing agent for the firm to think about the processes and principles of urban planning.