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 32
... true and gentle pleasure , if there is in your heart a true delight in its grim railings and dark casements , and wasteful finery of shops , and feeble coxcombry of club - houses , it is well : promote the building of more of them . But ...
... true and gentle pleasure , if there is in your heart a true delight in its grim railings and dark casements , and wasteful finery of shops , and feeble coxcombry of club - houses , it is well : promote the building of more of them . But ...
Page 81
... true , it has never been , and therefore , since the world is alive and moving yet , my hope is the greater that it one day will be : true it is a dream ; but dreams have before now come about of things so good and necessary to us ...
... true , it has never been , and therefore , since the world is alive and moving yet , my hope is the greater that it one day will be : true it is a dream ; but dreams have before now come about of things so good and necessary to us ...
Page 182
... true traditionalism guided by the rich diversity of community precedent such as what occurred at Rose Valley with Charles Ashbee . Given this context , the results achieved in today's neo - traditional communities do not appear to ...
... true traditionalism guided by the rich diversity of community precedent such as what occurred at Rose Valley with Charles Ashbee . Given this context , the results achieved in today's neo - traditional communities do not appear to ...
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