SIR EBENEZER HOWARD (1850-1928)

• A well‐known sociologist, who after studying the

industrialist evils in Britain gave the concept of ‘Garden
City’, It soon became the landmark in the history of town
planning.

• He had an idea which he set forth in little book entitled

‘To‐morrow’, published in 1898 which later republished
under the title of ‘Garden City ofTo‐morrow.

• He explained his idea of ‘Garden City’ by an impressive

diagram of The Three Magnets namely the town magnet,
country magnet with their advantages anddisadvantages
and the third magnet with attractive features of both
town and country life.

• Naturally people preferred the third one namelyGarden

City. It made a deep impression in the field of town
planning.

U R B A N P L A N N I N G
GARDEN CITY:
A town designed for healthy living and industry.
Town of a size that makes possible a full measure of social
life, but not larger Land will remain in a single ownership
of the community or held in trust for the community.
Not a colony, but a complete working city of population
about 30,000 A large central park containing public
buildings Central park surrounded by a shopping street.
Central park and shopping street are surrounded by
dwellings in all directions – at density of 12 families /acre
The outer circle of factories andindustries

Distance between each ring vary between3‐ 5km .

A 420 feet wide , 3 mile long, Grand avenue which run in

the center of concentric rings , houses the schools and
churches and acts as a continuous public park.

All the industries, factories and warehouses were placed at

the peripheral ring of thecity.
The municipal railway was placed in another ring closer to the industrial ring , so that the pressure of excess transport on
the city streets are reduced and the city is connected to the rest of the nation.
U R B A N P L A N N I N G
GARDEN CITY :
In 1903 – Letch worth started, 35 miles
from London, town area: about 500
acres,designed for 35,000 persons, 3,000
acres of green belt.
By 1947it had about 16,000 populations
and about 100 factories.

In 1920 – Welwyn started 2400 acres,

40000 persons design capacity.

By 1947, it had By keeping the land in

single ownership, the possibility of
speculation and overcrowding would be
eliminated and the increment of value
created by the community in the
industrial and commercial (shops) sets
would be preserved for
it‐self.

U R B A N P L A N N I N G
SIR EBENEZER HOWARD (1850-1928)
“A Garden City is a town designed for industry and healthy living; of a size
that makes possible a full measure of social life, but not larger; surrounded
by a permanent belt of rural land; the whole of the land being in public
ownership or held in trust for the community.”
‐C.B. Purdom, 1919
Reasons to plan Letchworth
London (and other cities) in the 19th century were in the throws of
industrialization, and the cities were exerting massive forces on the
labour markets of thetime.

•Massive immigration from the countryside to the cities was taking

place with London.

•This situation was unsustainable and political commentators ofall

parties sought “how best to provide the proper antidote against the
greatest danger of modern existence” (St. Jame’s Gazette,1892)

•To Howard the cure was simple ‐ to reintegrate people with the
countryside.

U R B A N P L A N N I N G
SIR EBENEZER HOWARD (1850-1928)
“A Garden City is a town designed for industry and
healthy living; of a size that makes possible a full
measure of social life, but not larger; surrounded by
a permanent belt of rural land; the whole of the land
being in public ownership or held in trust for the
community.” ‐C.B. Purdom, 1919
Reasons to plan Letchworth
• In trying to understand and represent the
attraction of the city he compared each city to a
magnet, with individuals represented asneedles
drawn to the city.

• He set about comparing the ‘town and country

magnets’ but decided that neither weresuitable
attractors for his utopianvision.
• Instead he believed that “Human society and the beauty of nature are meant to be enjoyed together” – hence
giving his solution “the two magnets must be made one.”

• "Town and country must be united, and out of this joyous union, will spring a new hope, a new life, a new
civilization."
U R B A N P L A N N I N G
SIR EBENEZER HOWARD (1850-1928)
“A Garden City is a town designed for industry and healthy living; of a size
that makes possible a full measure of social life, but not larger; surrounded
by a permanent belt of rural land; the whole of the land being in public
ownership or held in trust for the community.”
‐C.B. Purdom, 1919
Reasons to plan Letchworth
24 miles away fromlondon

• Land of 2378 acres

•It was basically designed for

maximum of 40000 people

•in starting of 15 years it got

developed only for 10000
people and 50 shops and
industries to cater the city •in which streets are designed togive
people the concept of neighbourhoodunit

U R B A N P L A N N I N G