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 10
... medieval guild model . The emphasis would be on the hand made production of useful and beautiful artifacts and the avoidance of rote work except for the heaviest of work . Meaning in life would be found from membership in a true ...
... medieval guild model . The emphasis would be on the hand made production of useful and beautiful artifacts and the avoidance of rote work except for the heaviest of work . Meaning in life would be found from membership in a true ...
Page 25
... medieval urban vision , he repeatedly said that he was not suggesting a restoration of medieval Pisa in modern England and that he recognized the flawed basis of much of medieval society . He explained that he had used the example ...
... medieval urban vision , he repeatedly said that he was not suggesting a restoration of medieval Pisa in modern England and that he recognized the flawed basis of much of medieval society . He explained that he had used the example ...
Page 105
... Medieval system : a communal process giving craftsmen of all types input into the final design . The design process proceeded from in the inside out ; it was based on a primary concern for how the building functioned rather than a ...
... Medieval system : a communal process giving craftsmen of all types input into the final design . The design process proceeded from in the inside out ; it was based on a primary concern for how the building functioned rather than a ...
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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Other editions - View all
Designing Utopia: John Ruskin's Urban Vision for Britain and America Michael H. Lang No preview available - 1999 |
Common terms and phrases
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