Sociable Cities: The Legacy of Ebenezer Howard

by Peter Geoffrey Hall, Colin Ward

Sociable Cities is published to coincide with the centenary of the publication of Ebenezer Howard's revolutionary Garden Cities of Tomorrow. Howard's book would prove to be the most influential work on city planning in the 20th Century. The book provided the template for some thirty new towns in the United Kingdom - and countless others across the rest of the world - helped to establish the Town and Country Planning Association and ultimately led to an Act of Parliament which established how the building of our cities would be governed. At its heart, Garden Cities argues for a return to civilised and sustainable urban communities. Sociable Cities assesses how Howard's work has faced up to the concerns of the 20th Century. Rarely have these concerns - the development of brown and green field sites, public versus private transport, the political will behind sustainability, public access to the countryside, and the quality of life in and the future of out cities - been so pressing. Finally, in analysing future trends, Peter Hall and Colin Ward take Howard's Garden Cities into the 21st Century. This landmark book will be of interest to all who are concerned for the future of our cities and the future of our countryside.

Paperback

First published November 30, 1998

Reviews

[Caleb Deck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting study on urban development and transportation links. Heavy on local history and planning and less focused on theory and solutions. Overall, good historical view of British garden city development, but leaves lots of questions on solutions.