Designing Utopia: John Ruskin's Urban Vision for Britain and AmericaAlthough his name is not one that springs to mind when the public thinks of influential urban planners and designers, John ruskin was undoubtedly a most important influence. Art critic, social reformer, giant of English literature, his prodigious output of books, pamphlets and lectures, as well as his efforts at practical reform, established his tremendous reputation in Britain and America. More than providing a vision statement, he challenged artists, architects and town planners to collaborate on developing prototypes of his vision. To a remarkable extent they succeeded in doing so and thereby created a legacy of good community design that this book highlights. Designing Utopia presents a broad overview of John Ruskin's life: the development of his views on architecture and urban design, as well as his views on social justice; how his vision was developed in his writings; his efforts at practical application of that vision, in particular his efforts to build a guild based society. Finally the book analyses how Ruskin's urban vision influenced the work of a long line of progressive architects and planners and the buildings and communities they designed modern urban designers such as Lewis Mumford, Patrick Geddes, Ebenezer Howard. The work of these figures are then related to current practitioners of the New Urbanism such as Duaney and Plater-Zyberk. |
From inside the book
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Page 36
... existence becomes mere transition , and every creature is only one atom in a drift of human dust , and current of interchanging particles , circulating here by tunnels under ground , and there by tubes in the air ; for a city , or ...
... existence becomes mere transition , and every creature is only one atom in a drift of human dust , and current of interchanging particles , circulating here by tunnels under ground , and there by tubes in the air ; for a city , or ...
Page 66
... existence of the basic fishing industry , it was an ideal location to try to establish the guild . Cook and Wedderburn included the following glowing description of the felicities of the site : " Into every cranny blows the sweet salt ...
... existence of the basic fishing industry , it was an ideal location to try to establish the guild . Cook and Wedderburn included the following glowing description of the felicities of the site : " Into every cranny blows the sweet salt ...
Page 133
... existence . Wayland , himself , was an early casualty , forced to depart in 1895 having been accused of excessive individualism in relation to his editorship of The Coming Nation which he ultimately turned over to the remaining ...
... existence . Wayland , himself , was an early casualty , forced to depart in 1895 having been accused of excessive individualism in relation to his editorship of The Coming Nation which he ultimately turned over to the remaining ...
Contents
The Development Of A Visionary | 19 |
Ruskins Efforts At Practical Town Planning | 48 |
William Morris And The Town Planning Implications Of | 73 |
Copyright | |
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Designing Utopia: John Ruskin's Urban Vision for Britain and America Michael H. Lang No preview available - 1999 |
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achieved Ackerman aesthetic American architects architecture artistic Arts and Crafts Ashbee associated beautiful British building built called Camden central Chipping Campden Clavigera co-housing cottages Crafts communities Crafts Movement craftsmen described design approach efforts England English environment established felt Garden City garden villages Gothic green Guild Socialism Hampstead Garden Suburb Hill human ideal industrial influence inspired John Ruskin Kelmscott Kentlands land trust lecture Lethaby live London major medieval Modern Painters Mumford nature neighbourhood neo-traditional Octavia Hill open space organic Oxford Philadelphia Philip Webb planning system Press Price principles produced projects Radburn Raymond Unwin Red House regional planning result romantic Rose Valley Roycroft Ruskin and Morris Ruskin's urban vision Ruskinian socialist society sprawl stone street style suburban Swenarton town planners town planning traditional urban design utopian vernacular vernacular architecture Webb's William Morris workers wrote York Yorkship Village