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 137
... British architects William Lethaby , Philip Webb and Frank Baines.2 It was indeed ironic that this practical application of the theories associated with pacifistic British Guild Socialism should flower in America as a result of the ...
... British architects William Lethaby , Philip Webb and Frank Baines.2 It was indeed ironic that this practical application of the theories associated with pacifistic British Guild Socialism should flower in America as a result of the ...
Page 149
... British Guild Socialism in America Innovations in Land Tenure Good urban design was not the only achievement of Ackerman and Litchfield ; they also vigorously campaigned for progressive new forms of housing tenure and , in so doing ...
... British Guild Socialism in America Innovations in Land Tenure Good urban design was not the only achievement of Ackerman and Litchfield ; they also vigorously campaigned for progressive new forms of housing tenure and , in so doing ...
Page 159
... British planning system can be attested to by the fact that in recent years , one of the most dynamic economic growth areas in Britain was in the newly planned New Town of Milton Keynes . Further evidence that the British land use ...
... British planning system can be attested to by the fact that in recent years , one of the most dynamic economic growth areas in Britain was in the newly planned New Town of Milton Keynes . Further evidence that the British land use ...
Contents
The Development Of A Visionary | 3 |
Ruskins Urban Vision | 19 |
Ruskins Efforts At Practical Town Planning | 48 |
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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