Seminar Two: Modern and Early Urban Planning

This reading by Richard T. LeGates and Frederic Stout explain the the rapid growth of cities during the period after the Industrial Revolution. The growth of factories in inner city and urban areas as well as the establishment of the transportation hubs and markets led to rapidly increased population shifts from regional and rural areas to urban metropolises. All these events which eventuated from the course of the Industrial Revolution is the reason why Urban and Regional Planning is seen as a profession today. It is highly unusual to praise difficult situations for the recognition of the planning profession but as planners we must understand that sometimes dim circumstances can lead to positive outcomes and this reading seems to demonstrate that clearly. If we look at the post-Industrial Revolution in cities it was evident that the rapid population that accompanied that wasn't going to magically fall in place where everyone would be housed without any problems. The lack of planning at the time led to extreme shortages in housing which of course led to urban slums and increased poverty. The Great Depression called upon the government to take action during the greatest financial crisis of the modern era. The New Deal implemented by Franklin D. Roosevelt led to the creation of thousands of jobs such as construction of many new post offices. Large scale projects were put in place such as the Hoover Dam which generated plenty of jobs.

The turn of the 20th century, in my opinion, is one of the most pivotal of the modern era due to evolving cities, new movements (such as The Parks Movement),as well as the upbringing of many academics and architects who stimulated new ideas and approaches such as Le Courbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright. I was quite intrigued when I read that Le Courbusier orchestrated the theory that cities should serve as the 'administration centre of the bureaucratic, technocratic state'. Also, Lloyd's idea of the 'Usonion' House couldn't have come at a better time especially during the course of the post Second World War where a population boom scattered most suburban areas outside of major cities in the United States. Frederick Law Olmsted was also a significant figure in improving the urban setting. He realized that real plans should 'distinguish' from nominal paper plans as it 'actually expresses the collective will of the community'. This led to vast changes in which master plans are created and explained. These new ideas as well as the idea of separation of pedestrians and automobiles formulated the modern urban setting as we see it today. All these developments are essential for a Planners understanding of the modern urban setting as it provides the backbone for future references in which we can look back and figure out where and how they got it right in such difficult circumstances. Overall, this reading was extremely stimulating and I highly recommend this read to Planners and Planners-in-training.

Have a Great Week

Boutros Hanna