Passage:

A historian of technology challenges the idea that early urban electrification was primarily a story of engineering progress. In many cities, the historian notes, the first electrical grids were technically fragile, prone to outages, and limited in reach. Yet municipal governments still promoted electrification as a symbol of administrative competence and modern order. The historian argues that this political symbolism shaped engineering choices: officials preferred highly visible installations along major boulevards, even when less visible upgrades would have improved reliability more. As a result, early grids often looked comprehensive to residents who saw bright commercial districts, while peripheral neighborhoods remained unevenly served. The historian concludes that, in this period, the public meaning of electrification influenced not only how it was advertised but also how it was built.

Which of the following is most strongly supported by the passage?