Critical Analysis of Daniel Burnham’s Work
By Mohammed Nihal and Harkunwar Singh
“Practical men of affairs are turning their attention to working out the means whereby the city may be made an efficient instrument for providing all its people with the best possible conditions of living.” – Daniel Burnham (from the book ‘The Plan of Chicago’ 1909).
Chicago in the 19th century was seen as a place of immense opportunities for people all over the United States. Mainly due to the fact that it was a port city and also due to its connectivity to other seven major states of the US, hence Chicago was slowly turning into a trading hub. It also saw a large number of people migrating to the city in search of jobs. The growth of the city was organic initially, but later due the large number of people migrating to this city from the nearby places, its growth became exponential and out of control.
Burnham blamed this condition on uncontrolled development and self-interested speculation. So the key issue facing Chicago during that time wasn’t expansion, but conservation and quality rather than quantity of life. The river, which determined the city’s location and remained crucial to its economy, was a disgraceful cesspool. The bridges that spanned it were inadequate, and all kinds of impediments compromised its navigability. Major streets were too narrow and the lack of a sufficient number of diagonal roadways cutting through the grid slowed movement in any direction other than due north, south, east, or west.
Chicago in the 19th century can be compared to the current city of Delhi. Chicago was not a planned city hence, the migration of people from the countryside led to a consequent disruption of services such as roads, railway networks as well as housing in the city. This situation bears a similarity to the present day scenario of Delhi wherein, a sudden boom in density has led to a shortage of proper public services and amenities. Burnham highlights this problem by stating that to widen a road atleast hundred buildings needed to be demolished.
Thereby comparing the two, we can draw inspiration from Burnham’s plan of a city to understand the possibility of improvements in Delhi so as to ensure equal distribution of public amenities within the city.
Burnham having grown up in the city of Chicago, felt that the city was in a state of turmoil. He was highly inspired by the cities of Paris and Moscow. In the year 1909 his book ‘The plan of Chicago’ was published that outlines specific recommendations, but also includes, more general ideas about urban planning. The ideas that Burnham believed in were firstly the improvements of the lake front, next he believed in the creation of a system of highways outside the city. He wanted the improvement of railway terminals and the development of a complete traction system for both freight and passengers. He wanted acquisition of an outer park system, and of parkway circuits. He also tried to incorporate the systematic arrangement of the streets and avenues within the city in order to facilitate the movement to and from the business district. Finally he also wanted the development of centers of intellectual life and of civic administration, so related as to give coherence and unity to the city.
The Plan of Chicago draws on European precedents, especially on Baron Haussmann’s Paris, with its broad diagonal streets, as well as on Beaux Arts concepts of balance, axiality, and symmetry. Although the Plan of Chicago received great acclaim initially, it did not take into account the enormous impact of the automobile. Some critics noted even at the time that it ignored housing and other pressing urban social issues. Burnham’s unpublished draft of the Plan, however, does include a remarkable social agenda. Others since have argued that Burnham’s plan represents an elitist viewpoint with an emphasis on social control and order. It is, these critics argue, too comprehensive to be fully realized and too monumental to be humane. Nonetheless, the Plan of Chicago has inspired generations of Chicagoans and others to work toward the ideal of a beautiful, efficient city.