How was urban planning born?

Summary

This video explores the evolution of city planning from the early 20th century, when it became an academic discipline, combining fields like architecture, sociology, and design. The video highlights key figures like Daniel Burnham and Robert Moses, who wielded immense power in shaping cities like San Francisco and New York. It also examines the rise of urban sociology through the Chicago School and the shift towards more human-centered planning, exemplified by Jane Jacobs. The video concludes with insights from Walter Benjamin on the experience of modern urban life.

Takeaways

• 🏙️ City planning as a formal discipline emerged in the early 20th century, with no prior official academic field or government departments dedicated to it.
• 🛠️ Planning brought together elements from different fields such as architecture, sociology, design, and politics, creating a coherent discipline for shaping cities.
• 📜 The first official planning bodies appeared in cities like New York and London, leading to the creation of comprehensive and general city plans.
• 🌉 Daniel Burnham's plan for San Francisco was disrupted by the 1906 earthquake, though some elements of the plan were implemented in outer areas.
• 🛣️ Robert Moses became a powerful, unelected city planner, influencing New York City's infrastructure through major projects like highways and expressways.
• 🚧 Moses' work, influenced by modernist ideas, faced backlash from activists like Jane Jacobs, who advocated for more human-scaled, community-focused urban design.
• 🎓 The first academic planning department in the United States was established at Harvard University in 1923, setting the stage for planning as a formal profession.
• 🏘️ The Chicago School of Urban Sociology emerged in the 1920s and 30s, focusing on urban social dynamics, neighborhoods, and ethnographic research.
• 🗺️ The Chicago School's mapping techniques helped lay the groundwork for modern tools like GIS (Geographical Information Systems) in urban studies.
• 🚶‍♂️ Walter Benjamin's exploration of cities, particularly Paris, emphasized the importance of walking and observing urban life as a method of studying the modern city.

Q & A

What was the state of city planning before the early 20th century?

Before the early 20th century, there was no official discipline called city planning. It was not taught at universities, and there were no city departments of planning. Planning elements were dispersed among other disciplines like architecture, design, sociology, and politics.

What led to the creation of city planning as a formal discipline?

City planning emerged as a formal discipline in the early 20th century when people in various disciplines realized that a coherent approach to understanding and managing cities was necessary. This led to the establishment of city planning as a new, comprehensive field.

Who was Daniel Burnham, and what was significant about his plan for San Francisco?

Daniel Burnham was an influential planner known for his comprehensive urban designs. His plan for San Francisco in 1905 was significant, but much of it was never realized due to the 1906 earthquake and fire, which forced the city to be rebuilt quickly.

How did Robert Moses influence urban planning in New York?

Robert Moses was a powerful urban planner in New York, responsible for major infrastructure projects like the Long Island Expressway and FDR Drive. He was never elected but controlled vast public authorities, allowing him to reshape the city through road networks and highways.

Why is the image of Robert Moses described as emblematic in the script?

The image of Robert Moses is described as emblematic because it shows him as larger than life, symbolizing his immense influence over the city's landscape. He is literally portrayed as bigger than the city, reflecting his power to shape urban development.

What was the role of the Chicago School in the development of urban sociology?

The Chicago School of urban sociology, led by academics like Robert Park and Lewis Worth, played a key role in establishing urban sociology as a formal field. They studied various aspects of city life, such as class, neighborhood dynamics, and ethnic group patterns, using ethnographic methods and mapping techniques.

How did the Chicago School contribute to modern urban studies and GIS?

The Chicago School's use of mapping and visualization to study cities contributed to the development of geographical information systems (GIS). Their methodologies laid the groundwork for using computer technology to map urban data in the late 20th century.

Who was Walter Benjamin, and what was his approach to urban studies?

Walter Benjamin was a German philosopher and cultural critic who explored urban life through walking as a method of study. He believed in observing cities by losing oneself in them, as reflected in his unfinished 'Paris Arcades Project,' where he developed urban thought through personal experiences in the streets.

What impact did modernist movements like Le Corbusier's have on urban planning?

Modernist movements, including those by architects like Le Corbusier, influenced planners like Robert Moses. These movements promoted modern forms of urban development, often emphasizing large-scale infrastructure projects and redesigning cities to fit new, functionalist principles.

What was the reaction against modernist urban planning, and who led this movement?

The reaction against modernist urban planning, which focused on large-scale infrastructure and impersonal designs, was led by activists like Jane Jacobs. She advocated for more human-centered, small-scale approaches to urban development, emphasizing the importance of community and preserving neighborhood character.

Outlines

00:00

🏙️ The Emergence of Urban Planning in the 20th Century

Up until the early 20th century, urban planning did not exist as a recognized profession. Disciplines like architecture, design, sociology, and politics contributed to urban thought, but there was no formalized field of city planning. The need for a coherent framework for cities emerged as people realized the importance of a structured approach. By the early 1900s, planning became an official discipline, with the creation of city planning departments and the first comprehensive urban plans. Planners like Daniel Burnham had a significant influence, as seen in his plan for San Francisco, which was partially realized after the 1906 earthquake.

05:01

🏗️ Robert Moses: The Power of a City Planner

In the 20th century, powerful city planners like Robert Moses gained significant control over urban development. Unlike architects or philosophers, Moses, inspired by Baron von Haussmann's Paris and modernist movements, reshaped New York City by implementing large infrastructure projects, such as highways and expressways. His influence on the built environment was immense due to his control over public authorities and vast sums of money. His controversial vision of urban planning led to clashes with activists like Jane Jacobs, particularly concerning projects like the Cross Manhattan Expressway, which would have disrupted communities like Greenwich Village.

📚 The Rise of Urban Sociology and the Chicago School

Urban sociology began to take shape as a distinct field in the 1920s and 30s, primarily at the University of Chicago. Led by scholars like Robert Park and Lewis Worth, the Chicago School of Urban Sociology emerged, focusing on issues such as class, neighborhood decline, ethnic group dynamics, and urban social organization. Chicago, with its diverse neighborhoods, provided a rich environment for research. The methodologies developed, including mapping urban spaces, would later evolve into tools like GIS (Geographical Information Systems). This approach to studying cities would influence both American and global urban thought.

🚶‍♂️ Walter Benjamin and the Philosophy of Urban Exploration

The study of cities was not limited to the United States. Philosopher Walter Benjamin, through his unfinished 'Arcades Project,' explored the city of Paris as a method of understanding the urban experience. Benjamin believed that true exploration of a city involved 'losing oneself' in it, as one would in a forest, with streets and landmarks becoming part of an immersive sensory experience. His work highlighted the importance of walking and observation as methods to engage with and understand the evolving urban condition. This philosophical approach contributed to a deeper understanding of modern cities.

Keywords

💡Urban Planner

An urban planner is a professional who works on the design, development, and improvement of urban areas. They consider factors like land use, transportation, infrastructure, and community facilities to create sustainable and livable cities. In the video, urban planning emerges as a discipline in the early 20th century, bringing together various fields to form a coherent approach to city development.

💡City Planning

City planning refers to the process of shaping the physical and social characteristics of urban areas. It involves creating and implementing policies and plans to guide future development. The video discusses how city planning evolved from an unofficial, multidisciplinary practice to a formal discipline with the establishment of official planning bodies and comprehensive plans.

💡Daniel Burnham

Daniel Burnham was an American architect and urban planner known for his influential plans for cities like Chicago and San Francisco. His plans emphasized grand boulevards and diagonal avenues. The video mentions his plan for San Francisco, which was partially realized, highlighting the impact of planners on urban design.

💡Robert Moses

Robert Moses was a powerful New York figure known for his significant influence on the city's infrastructure. He was not an elected official but held numerous public authority positions, allowing him to shape the city's landscape with roads and highways. The video uses Moses as an example of a 'planning czar' who had tremendous power to reshape urban environments.

💡Modernism

Modernism in city planning refers to a movement that favored large-scale, functional, and often grid-like designs. It was characterized by the construction of wide roads and highways to accommodate the growing number of cars. The video contrasts modernist approaches with the more human-scale planning advocated by Jane Jacobs.

💡Jane Jacobs

Jane Jacobs was an activist and author known for her influential book 'The Death and Life of Great American Cities.' She advocated for a bottom-up approach to urban planning that valued community input and small-scale development. The video mentions her as a key figure in the reaction against modernist planning.

💡Chicago School

The Chicago School refers to a group of sociologists in the early 20th century who studied urban life and developed theories about city growth and social organization. They used mapping and ethnographic methods to understand urban dynamics. The video highlights the Chicago School's contributions to urban sociology and the development of GIS.

💡Geographical Information Systems (GIS)

GIS is a system designed for capturing, storing, analyzing, and presenting geographic and spatial data. It has become a crucial tool in urban planning and research. The video connects the mapping techniques used by the Chicago School to the development of modern GIS technology.

💡Walter Benjamin

Walter Benjamin was a German philosopher and cultural critic known for his unique approach to understanding cities through walking and observation. The video mentions Benjamin's idea of walking as a method to experience and understand urban life, contrasting it with the more systematic approaches of urban planners.

💡Urban Sociology

Urban sociology is the study of social life and human behavior in urban environments. It examines how cities shape and are shaped by social processes. The video discusses the development of urban sociology as a distinct academic field, particularly through the work of the Chicago School.

💡Human-Scale Planning

Human-scale planning is an approach to urban design that prioritizes the needs and experiences of people over large-scale infrastructure projects. It emphasizes walkability, mixed-use development, and community engagement. The video contrasts this approach with the more automobile-centric modernist planning.

Highlights

Up until the early 20th century, there was no professional discipline called city planning, and it wasn't taught in universities.

City planning began to take shape as various disciplines such as architecture, design, sociology, and politics realized the need for a coherent approach to cities.

The early 20th century saw the emergence of official planning bodies in cities like New York and London, marking a major innovation in urban planning.

The Daniel Burnham plan for San Francisco was only partially realized due to the 1906 earthquake and fire, but some parts, like Saint Francis Wood, were built.

City planners in the 20th century gained significant power, with figures like Robert Moses reshaping cities through large-scale infrastructure projects.

Robert Moses, inspired by figures like Baron von Haussmann and modernists like Le Corbusier, reshaped New York with projects such as the Long Island Expressway and FDR Drive.

Robert Moses was never elected, but he controlled vast sums of money through public authorities, giving him immense power to shape New York's urban landscape.

While some of Robert Moses's plans were realized, others, like the Cross Manhattan Expressway, were never built due to opposition from activists like Jane Jacobs.

The first planning department in the United States was established at Harvard University in 1923, marking the beginning of planning as an academic discipline.

The 1920s and 30s saw the rise of urban sociology as its own field of study, with the Chicago School of urban sociology led by Robert Park and Louis Wirth.

The Chicago School focused on studying urban phenomena such as class dynamics, neighborhood decline, and ethnic group settlement patterns.

Mapping became a key tool for urban sociologists, laying the groundwork for later developments in GIS (Geographical Information Systems).

Walter Benjamin’s work on urban theory emphasized the act of walking as a method of understanding and experiencing the city.

Benjamin proposed that getting lost in a city, as one might in a forest, was an essential way to understand the urban environment.

Benjamin's unfinished 'Paris Arcades Project' focused on the modern city and the experience of urban life through observation and reflection.

Transcripts

[Music]

so

up to now we've talked a lot about

architects

and designers and landscape architects

and social theorists and sociologists

but if you've noticed i haven't really

used the word planner

and that's because up until the early

20th century

there was no such thing as a quote urban

planner

there was no discipline called city

planning

it was not taught at universities and

that began to change

all these disciplines came together

around planning

as people in different disciplines and

practices realized

that a coherent school of cities was

necessary

up until the early 20th century city

planning or what we now today consider

city planning had not been any official

or professional discipline there had

been no city department of planning

and it had not as i said been an

academic field of study

bits and pieces of planning had belonged

to other disciplines like

architecture design sociology

politics and other places

the bringing together of various ideas

practices

theories and philosophies of the city

into planning was one of the innovations

of the early 20th century

from the first official planning bodies

in cities like new york and london

to the birth of the first official

comprehensive plans

and general plans planners

now had new power and great

responsibility to remake cities

and urban life this is showing

the daniel burnham plan for san

francisco and unlike chicago

this was never realized in full and some

of you might

have a guess why that is by looking at

the date here which is 1905

well in 1906 of course the great san

francisco earthquake and fire

would destroy most of the city and the

city then had to be rebuilt very quickly

and so parts of this plan were lost

however

parts of daniel burnham's plan for san

francisco were

realized especially in the outer areas

places like

saint francis wood but you can see that

a lot of his grand

diagonals and avenues were never put

into the city as it quickly

rebuilt after the fire

as planning came together as an

important new practice discipline city

department

government entity individuals

city planners emerged as really powerful

forces and shapers

of cities so one of the things that

emerged in the 20th

century were planning czars planning

dictators in a sense like robert moses

here

and i think this photo of robert moses

is really emblematic because he is

larger than life he is literally larger

than the city itself

he's looking down at the bridge and the

urban landscape that

he is helping to create

so moses was not an architect he was not

a philosopher he was a planner and as

such had tremendous power to shape

the built environment

inspired by baron von hausman's work

in paris in the 1870s and other

competing

modernist movements such as le corbusier

who again was at the around the same

time period

robert moses looked at new york which

had passed london by the 1930s to become

the largest city in the world

he took out a pen and he drew new modern

forms of landscape

into the city moses was in charge of

many different public authorities and he

was never elected

and therefore had access to huge sums of

money

in order to implement his infrastructure

robert moses put in roads and highways

like the long island expressway the

cross bronx expressway

and fdr drive

you can see here on the left moses's

plan

for his road network some of these were

built and some of these weren't

and this gets into the next part where i

start to talk about the reactions

against modernism and a return to a more

human-based

small scale approach to planning led by

activists like jane jacobs

so the cross manhattan expressway that

would have cut right through greenwich

village

was never built but much of this was

built

meanwhile planning was also establishing

itself as an

academic discipline the first planning

department in the united states

was at harvard university in 1923

and so we would now see generations of

students

studying planning and going on to enter

planning in various ways

in the 1920s and 30s sociologists

in chicago began to coalesce around the

urban

as its own school of study urban

sociology was born and this became known

as the chicago school

of urban sociology led by

academics like robert park and lewis

worth

this had been going on for a long time

if you remember

people like charles booth in in london

or jon snow before that with his cholera

map or

jacob reese the photographer in new york

city

but there had been no coherent school of

urban sociology

so people like park and worth built upon

earlier traditions to build a school of

what it meant

to study the city to look at things

like explaining class explaining

neighborhood decline the way that

ethnic groups orient themselves in urban

space different forms of urban social

organization

and chicago was a ripe place to do this

because

it was such a patchwork of neighborhoods

ethnic neighborhoods both

white ethnic neighborhoods and

african-american

and latinx neighborhoods developing

alongside each other

those in the chicago school had a

laboratory to

conduct different forms of ethnography

using different methodologies

so mapping was a tool often used to

display

where ethnic groups work what type of

house

people live in what building types there

are displaying these using different

types of visualization and this would

feed into the computer in the late part

of the 20th century and become what we

now call

gis or geographical information systems

so we owe a lot of debt to the chicago

school

for that and this new type of thinking

about cities wasn't limited to the

united states walter benjamin

walked the streets of paris to develop

his own

type of urban thought walking as

method simply walking and taking field

notes observing

remarking writing about the urban

condition and the modern city

in benjamin's words it was not to find

one's way around the city that doesn't

mean much

but to lose one's way in a city as one

loses one's way in a forest

that's hard that requires some schooling

street names must speak to the urban

wanderer like the snapping of dry twigs

and little streets in the heart of the

city must reflect the times of day

for him as clearly as a mountain valley

that's what benjamin wrote in 1934 as

part of his

never finished paris arcades project