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
Results 1-3 of 23
Page 4
... Romantics such as Goethe and Schiller as well as Coleridge , Carlyle and the other English writers who adopted and spread their message . The German Romantics were important because they initiated of the central tenets of the romantic ...
... Romantics such as Goethe and Schiller as well as Coleridge , Carlyle and the other English writers who adopted and spread their message . The German Romantics were important because they initiated of the central tenets of the romantic ...
Page 77
... romantic poetry and prose ; imbuing these works with the trappings of medieval chivalry in the style of Scott , who he admired . Starting with The Defense of Guenevere and other Poems ( 1858 ) , The Death and Life of Jason ( 1867 ) The ...
... romantic poetry and prose ; imbuing these works with the trappings of medieval chivalry in the style of Scott , who he admired . Starting with The Defense of Guenevere and other Poems ( 1858 ) , The Death and Life of Jason ( 1867 ) The ...
Page 160
... romantic Ruskinian urban vision with a mass society of mechanization and cold efficiency . Betjaman is essentially on the mark in blaming the " plansters " because town planning in the postwar years had been widely perceived as being ...
... romantic Ruskinian urban vision with a mass society of mechanization and cold efficiency . Betjaman is essentially on the mark in blaming the " plansters " because town planning in the postwar years had been widely perceived as being ...
Contents
The Development Of A Visionary | 3 |
Ruskins Urban Vision | 19 |
Ruskins Efforts At Practical Town Planning | 48 |
Copyright | |
9 other sections not shown
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
achieve 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