Planning theories

Ebenezer Howard(1850-1928)

Presentation by
Mrs vinaya hiremath
Ebenezer Howard
 Father of the garden city
movement.
 Was a British Planner
and a sociologist.
 After studying the
problems of the industrial
cities i.e. the runaway
growth of the cities,
suggested the concept of
Garden Cities with a
population of 30000 each
around a central city of
60000 population.
 Concept of Garden City (3Magnets)
 Town Magnet : Advantages
 Higher wages
 Better job opportunities
 Better life style and standard
of living
 Proper infrastructure and
entertainment
 Disadvantages
 Overcrowding
 Congestion, pollution
 High cost of living
 Lack of open space
 Fast pace of life
Country Magnet ( advantages)
advantages
 Fresh air

 Leisurely pace of life

 Low land values

Disadvantages
 Less job opportunities

 Low wages

 Lack of infrastructure

and amenities
 Town and Country magnet had the advantages of
both town and country.
 Disadvantages of both town and country were totally
avoided.
 Based on this concept garden city, cities of Letch
worth and welwyn were planned near London city.
Garden City
 To relieve pressure of big
cities new garden cities
were established around the
mother city with
dependence on mother city
for certain facilities with a
good communication
network between them.
 Showed how workable and
livable towns were formed.
 In 1858 he wrote a book ‘
tomorrow –a peaceful path
to social reformation’.
 Self contained unit of
limited size.
 Large gardens/ open
spaces/ green belts around
the city.
 Garden city
 Low density of residential development,
12houses/acre.
 Restricted the growth of the cities beyond 58000
population.
 Proposed a series of garden cities with a population
of 30000 around the central city to relieve the
pressure at a distance of 50-80 kms, with a green
belt separating them.
 Economic base was provided for the livelihood of
the residents along with the social and recreational
amenities.
 As the population
increased beyond
30000 another garden
city would be planned.
Hence a series of
garden cities to
accommodate the ever
increasing population.
 The network of garden
cities around central
city would be
connected by a good
network of roads and
rail transport.
Layout of a garden city
 Land of 6000 acres was
allotted for the city out of
which 1000 acres was allotted
for the city for a population
of 30000.
 Remaining 4000 acres was
reserved for green belt where
no urban development would
be allowed.
 The city was divided into 6
wards by radial roads
intersecting at the city centre.
 Each ward contained a
population of 5000.
 The dwellings were to
be detached and
semidetached with a
density of 12houses/
acre.
 The important public
buildings of the city
were located at the
junction of the radial
roads( boulevards )
each 120ft wide.
 The entire land is
owned by a public trust
and any profit was
utilised for amenities.
 Six magnificent boulevards each 120ft wide ran
through the city from the circumference dividing it
into six wards. In the centre is the circular central
park about 5 ½ acres, with beautiful well laid out
garden.
 Surrounding this garden, each in its own ample
grounds are larger public buildings like town hall,
principal concert and lecture hall, theatre, library,
museum, picture gallery and hospital.
 The rest of the large space, encircled by the ‘crystal
palace’, is a public park, with an area of 145 acres,
which includes ample recreation grounds with in
easy access of all the people.
 Running all along the central park is a wide glass
arcade called the ‘crystal palace’ opening on to the
park. This palace is a major shopping and exhibition
area ( winter garden ) and is within 600 yards from
outer most housing.
 There are 5500 bldglots of an average size of
20x100ft, min being 20x100ft
 On the outer ring of the town are factories,
warehouses, dairies, markets, coal yards, timber
yards etc, all fronting on the circumferal railway
which has sidings, connecting it with a main line of
railway which passes through the estate.
 This arrangement enables
goods to be loaded and
unloaded direct onto the
trucks from warehouses and
workshops thus reducing
the vehicular flow into the
city.
 The refuse of the town is
utilised for agricultural
purposes.
 Letch worth was the first
ever Garden city (1903)
55kms from London. Had
4500acres of land maximum
population of 35000 with an
agricultural belt of
3000acres.
 Welwyn II garden city (1919)
--- Population 40000. 2400
acres of area.
 This concept of Garden city
has been used all over the
world with varying degree of
success.
 In India the concept has been used to contain the
population of Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad.
 However in many cases the concept has failed
because of the inability of the government to prevent
the use of green belt for the urban development as
the pressure on the land under green belt is so
intense that the governments yield to them. This
results in the failure of the garden city concept as
the main aim is to prevent the growth of the city
beyond a limit.