Modernism: Week 4 blog

This reading is about the evolution of planning theory and the people who have helped to create these with particular focus on modernist planners. In reminance of this I am going to dedicate this blog to some of the sames mentioned within this chaptor. Besides that the chapter talks about the importance of planning as a new profession and how it is only in the absense of strict planning that slums occur.  The role of the urban planner is to deal with land use and traffic to manage growth. I think this definition in the chapter is very simplistic and that there is much more then this facets of life that a planner must manage examples of this would be any social issues.  Important additives of modern planning is the scales inwhich it is done; for a city, a region, state and nationally.

My dedications:

 Parks Movement: 1840's
Revolt against industrial revolution. Look to enhance urban spaces by critical design landscapes. Gave the poor and working class workers of the city a place for recreation and a place to nuture morality. It provided congested city with "lungs".

Most famous Parks movement development? Central Park

Taken from http://javed-sultan.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-york-central-park-cool-picture.html


Ebenezer Howard: Garden City- 1898
Utopian theory; Improve the health of a city and elimiate congestion. Designed to house 32,000 and be connected to other social cities via rail networks. The land was collectively owened and allowed the country side to not be too far away. First garden city Letworth in England.

Easily connected with other urban centres

Taken from : http://www.library.cornell.edu/Reps/DOCS/howard.htm

Daniel Burham:City Beautiful movement 1900's
"Make no little plans they have the tenedency to stir young ments blood"
( Could easily write a blog dedicated to this man who had so much influence in the planning profession). The movement was about aethetic designs of towns, in particular city (civic) centres. It was about physical determinism and enhancement of morals. Visionary plans for whole metropolitians outlined in his infamous plan for Chicago.

Most famous plan?

Taken from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnham_Plan


Edward Bassett
Look towards comprehensive plans of not only single cities but of entire regions. Used both text and maps to communicate plans which were organised through the small number of planning elements.

Patrick Geddes
Look towards advocacy in planning. Looked at the regional vision of cities. The importance of looking at the region as a whole and making environmentally sensitive plans.

Le Corbusier: Cubsism
Utopian ideas; Planned the city for three million. This idea of evenly spaced sky scrapers and parks became increasingly popular after world war 2 in Western countries. He looked at the city as an admin centre for the beurocratic technocratic state. This man was very interesting, if you have the time I recommend you google him.

Taken from: http://www.brianmicklethwait.com/culture/archives/architecture/

Frank Lloyd Wright: Broadacre city
Utopian ideas; automobile based sprawl. Every family entitled to 1 acre with no large urban concerntration.The automobile and phone were the elimanators of space. He look towards more naturally aethically pleasing architecture. Designed the Usonian house.

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http://www.medienarchitektur.at/architekturtheorie/broadacre_city/2011_illustration_004_de.shtml

Catherine Bauer:
Advocated the neal deal in urban planning. True modernist and rationalist.

These people are all so influential within the planning context and most could have written whole blogs dedicated to them individually. Whilst this week was about modernism I have focused on a timeline of important planning theorists. But to sum up modernism; It was about a more efficient way of planning a city. Not neccerily aethically pleasing but sustainable. A black and white way of looking at planning issues.

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