The second decade of the twentieth contrite saw urban planning become increasingly codified and professionalized. Here are some key events:
Wacker’s Manual of the Plan of Chicago 1912
Charles Henry Wacker was a second generation German American who was a businessman and philanthropist. In 1909 was appointed Chairman of the Chicago Plan Commission by Mayor Busse. He held the position until 1926. As chairman, he championed the Burnham Plan for improving Chicago. He also believed that Chicago would fulfill its destiny as “the center of the modern world,” only if its youth were well-educated in the far-reaching goals of the city’s plan.*
As such, in 1912, Wacker published Wacker’s Manual of the Plan of Chicago (by Walter D. Moody) for use in public schools. The text was adopted as an eighth-grade textbook by the Chicago Board of Education and was required reading for all eighth-grade public school students until 1924. This is the first known formal instruction in city planning below the college level. It offered students a basic understanding of the history and function of cities and taught the importance of planning as a civic responsibility.
Hadacheck v. Sebastian 1915
In Hadacheck v. Sebastian, 239 U.S. 394 (1915), the Supreme Court of the United States held that an ordinance of Los Angeles prohibiting the manufacturing of bricks within specified limits of the city did not unconstitutionally deprive the petitioner of his property without due process of law, or deny him equal protection of the laws.
The case is significant because it is the first time the Supreme Court approved the regulation of the location of land uses. The brickyard was prohibited because it was causing adverse health effects in LA. In its decision the Court noted that: “There must be progress, and if in its march private interests are in the way they must yield to the good of the community.”
Cities in Evolution 1915
Sir Patrick Geddes was a Scottish biologist, sociologist, philanthropist and pioneering town planner. He is known for his innovative thinking in the fields of urban planning and education. Geddes is also considered by some to be the father of regional planning for introducing the concept of ‘region’ to architecture and planning. He is also known to have coined the term conurbation.
In 1915 he wrote Cities in Evolution : An Introduction to the Town Planning Movement and to the Study of Civics. The book was an essay on the growth of cities emphasizing preservation of historical traditions, involvement of the people in their own betterment and the rediscovery of past traditions of city building.
Eutopia, then, lies in the city around us; and it must be planned and realised, here or nowhere, by us as its citizens—each a citizen of both the actual and the ideal city seen increasingly as one.
—Cities in Evolution
First Full-Time City Planner 1916
Harland Bartholomew was the first full-time planner employed by an American city: St. Louis. Although a civil engineer by training and disposition, Harland’s career started just as automobile production was taking off, industrial development was booming and urban population was rapidly growing. The challenges and opportunities brought about by these factors inspired the invention of new community concepts and required the development of new approaches to planning transportation in cities. These challenges called for a hybrid of engineering and sociological skills. Bartholomew possessed both.
Bartholomew created new methodologies and new designs and concepts known as comprehensive planning which made contributions that remain relevant to urban planning in North America today—for good and for bad. Due to his groundbreaking work he is often described as the father of North American city planning. His legacy in urbanist circles is mixed, however, as he pushed for widened streets and strict Euclidean zoning.
Bartholomew passed away in 1989, a few months after his 100th birthday.
First Zoning Ordinance 1916
This slideshow from Grist takes a tour of the top ten cities in the world for walking. The cities included are from a new list from travel publisher Lonely Planet and include Prague, Boston and Melbourne.
Prague. Photo: Moyan Brenn on Flickr
From Grist:
A great city is a great walking city. So which is the greatest of them all? Travel book publisher Lonely Planet just surveyed its readers and asked them to pick the best walking cities in the world from a list of 186. Take a stroll through the top 10, counting down to the city that readers rated No. 1, and see if your favorite made the cut.
From Lonely Planet:
One of the best ways to get to know a place is one of the easiest – just walk around it. So we asked you: What are your favourite cities to walk around?
You voted for 186 different cities. London topped the list, closely followed by New York City, Paris, Rome, then Prague.
Here’s the list of the 20 walking cities (according to popular vote):
Progressive blogger (and budding urbanist) Matt Yglesias was in Phoenix last week for a speaking engagement. When he was here, he checked out our downtown and light rail system. Here’s what he had to say:
Phoenix is largely a stereotypical sunbelt “no there there” sprawling auto-oriented city. But it does feature a smallish, but very nice, walkable urban downtown core. And it also has a new light rail line, with more lines to come. These developments are, it seems to me, very beneficial to the city and should keep paying off down the road.
But with my wonk hat on, it’s hard for me to imagine that the light rail system passes a cost-benefit test relative to just improving bus service. That is, however, a bit of a narrow-minded way of looking at the situation. The key element to downtown Phoenix’s success is that there’s been a lot of different rezoning initiatives (here’s one) to allow for increased density, more mixing of uses, and reduced parking requirements. It’s this rezoning to allow for more economically efficient use of the land that’s driving the benefits. And a city could—and should—do this without necessarily waiting for the construction of expensive light rail systems.
But when you’re talking about political change, you can’t leave the politics out and in this case it seems to me that they largely come as a package deal. Real estate developers and businesses like the idea of fixed rail stations to anchor development. And they also can serve as key elements of a political coalition for rezoning. Meanwhile, the idea of rail construction paints a picture for the city’s residents of urban transformation instead of “exactly the way it was before, but more crowded.” So the package works.
But of course the converse is also true. If a new transit system does anything useful, it will raise the price of station-adjacent land. Whether that constitutes a private benefit to landowners or a broader economic benefit to the community is almost entirely contingent on upzoning the land to increase the number of people able to take advantage of its increased value.
As I mentioned on Monday, I’m taking a Reading Break this week. In lieu of new content, please enjoy this selection of some of my most read and shared lists:
I have always been compelled by data visualization. Here are five of my favorite infographics pertaining to cities.
These 11 blogs will help you keep on top of news and views about various aspects of urbanism and city life in 2011.
While Jane Jacobs remains the grand dame of urbanists, she inspired a robust urban movement. Here are ten visionaries who are continuing her legacy.
Having trouble buying the perfect gift for the urbanist in your life? Here’s a handy gift guide to help you pick the perfect present.
For those looking to expand the urban insights, here are ten important books in my urbanist canon.
As I mentioned on Monday, I’m taking a Reading Break this week. In lieu of new content, please enjoy this selection of some of my most read and shared posts on my personal brand:
Here is a my visual résumé. It is my attempt to stand apart for the crowd a bit. I hope you enjoy it.
Some of the greatest minds in history were generalists and made their mark by connecting the dots in a variety of fields.
My ideal career would let me respond to ideas and people constantly, with the freedom I need to explore and analyze to get great results.
The first question in my virtual interview: What leaders, thinkers or doers do I admire most?
More of my most popular posts can be found on my Best Of page.
As I mentioned on Monday, I’m taking a Reading Break this week. In lieu of new content, please enjoy this selection of some of my most read and shared posts on Phoenix:
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Civic Space Park
What started with a Twitter conversation with an incredulous magazine editor, become a reality.
A year ago, I shared my initial observations on CityScape Phoenix. At the time I wasn’t impressed. A year later, it impresses me even less.
To promote their 20th anniversary, the Downtown Phoenix Partnership sponsored a video showcasing residents’ visions for the next 20 years.
Gold Spot in downtown Phoenix incorporates many urbanist principles, such as adaptive reuse, street presence, mixed use and density.
Despite being a great place on paper, Civic Space Park has yet to live up to it’s promise as a great urban space for downtown Phoenix.
More of my most popular posts can be found on my Best Of page.
The Place Diagram, from the Project for Public Spaces
As I mentioned yesterday, I’m taking a Reading Break this week. In lieu of new content, please enjoy this selection of some of my most read and shared posts on placemaking:
More of my most popular posts can be found on my Best Of page.
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