From Garden City to Smart Growth: the Evolution and Management of New Urbanism

ICPM-2012. Crisis Management in the Time of Changing World From Garden City to Smart Growth: The Evolution and Management of New Urbanism Chen Youzhen1，Duan Longlong2 1,2 School of Public Administration, Southwest Jiaotong University， Chengdu，P.R.China，610031 (E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]) Abstract class polarization along with the presence of gated communities in suburbs, bringing more Under the influence of industrialization and fragmentation in urban spaces. Distinguished rapid population growth after World War II, by low density development and scattered urban sprawl, central cities’ recession and distribution, suburbanization caused many metropolis diseases have become three tumors problems of the privatization of public spaces that restricted urban sustainable development the embezzlement of lots of urban lands and in western countries, so the new urbanism has the acceleration of social contradiction and arisen. From garden city to smart growth, new social isolation ， so the rectification of urbanism thoughts have experienced long-term suburbanization and the containment of urban evolution. Diversification, compactness, public sprawl have become core issues of urban transportation and social integration advocated development in main western countries since by new urbanism have been supported by the mid-20th century. majority of people. The paper illustrates, in The great discussion about “challenges to detail, the evolution and management of new ” urbanism. urban sprawl has continued for nearly half a century, but there have not been many agreements on inter-cultural universal Key words Garden city; Smart Growth; measures. In geography and ekistics, the Evolution; Management; New Urbanism scholars have their own opinions，but hold a doubtful attitude to the others’ solutions. Even 1. Introduction in the academic circle of geography，scholars in North American and Europe hold different Industrial revolution and economic opinions，and their main disputes concern two globalization have been the two most important factors affecting the evolution of city forms space forms of urban sustainable development, since the 19th century. International flows of namely dispersion or compactness[2]. Firstly capital, technical progress and a series of we need to make it clear that compact space material civilization transmutation make form of city is certain; here dispersion or continuous decomposition and reconstruction compactness just mean two forms of compact in city scale and urban space forms in many city, i.e.multiple-centers or single-center. countries. Dominated by new liberalism and Based on the specific practices of the two laissez-faire planning thoughts, urban sprawl, space forms，a series of ideas about urban suburbanization and de-urbanization become forms have arisen. New urbanism is one of three characteristics of urban space forms in them. It includes new modes of urban forms contemporary western countries. [1] The and development, learns experience from car-oriented transit mode produced in numerous thoughts and urban development industrial city leads to over-exploitation of practices，affirms compact forms, advocates abundant urban lands and poses a challenge to mixed-used and diversified urban transit modes. the safety and ecological protection of central It builds self-included community, creates clear cities. Suburbanization, on one hand, caused urban landmarks and opposes car-oriented central cities’ recession increased the extensive development. Because new urbanism difficulties of urban regeneration; and on the brings nice community vision to citizens and other hand, accelerated social exclusion and local governments, it has become a successful © 2012. The authors - Published by Atlantis Press 266 example among numerous thoughts about both in theory and in practice there exist urban form development [3]. different judge standards. New urbanism is an outcome of historical, experience and 2. The origin of new urbanism：wrestle references. Howard’s garden city theory, Perry’s neighbor unit’s theory and urban between theories and practices regeneration theory of Site promote the As the outcome of both theory and practice, evolution of new urbanism. [6] new urbanism thoughts widely exist in the western countries nowadays. New urbanism 3. From Garden City to Smart Growth: the tend to express itself more in practice than in Evolution and Management theory, which is determined by its first spread in ekistics, so to seek the origin of new Historically, the concept and planning ideas of urbanism needs to examine both the theory and Garden City has a big impact on the formation the practice. and evolution of the subsequent new urbanism. First, in practice, new urbanism traces back Even after a-century-long changes, the essence to the “Pruitt-Ego” high public residence in of the Garden City concepts has affected much Saint Louis in 1972. Also it may date back to the thoughts of the contemporary new 2500 B.C. in Indian Valley. A lot of urban urbanism. After Garden City, the school of characteristics at that time, such as mixed uses, revisionism appeals to improve the designs of small blocks and walk-oriented modes, are Garden City and to develop the suburban areas applied in new urbanism now. In theory, of the city. In 1920s and 1930s, they put scholars on new urbanism universally take forward modes such as "Neighborhood Units" Camillo Sitte’s works The Urban Design and "Sunshine Cities", in an attempt to expand Depends on Its Artistic Principle published in the values of Garden City by connecting the 1989, as the origin of new urbanism. In his suburbanization development with compact book, Sitte opposes straightforward avenues layouts, good public spaces and emphasis on designed by the Europeans and encourages ecological balance in the thoughts of Garden people to apply architectural principles of City. They also intended to evolve the European medieval. Just from this point of idealistic mode of Howard to the suburban view, new urbanism tends to advocate cross development mode. Owing to these concepts, mergings of tradition and modernity. [4] the revisionist school has become the main Although Sitte’s works, to a great extent, is driver of the urban sprawl and the regarded as the origin of new urbanism, his suburbanization movement. [7] It was not until works contributes little to the spread of new 1980s when people from all walks of life urbanism concerning theoretical construction. fiercely criticized the suburban sprawl and the In coomparison, Jane Jacobs’ works The Life metropolitan diseases that the revisionists’ and Death of Great American Cities (1961) rights of discourse was deprived, which made does the most theoretical contribution to new new urbanism, which advocates to curb the urbanism. Jane Jacobs holds the opinion that sprawl and to construct the real harmonious the vitality of the city comes from the density, community, step on the stage of history. mixed uses and diversified neighborhoods，so 3.1. Garden City: Origin of New Urbanism he opposes to built high-rise buildings and The concept of Garden City was brought up large parks because they aggravate crimes and under the background where the recession of social isolation. Good cities and neighborhoods central cities and the suburbanization coexisted. must be committed to connect people from At that time, the appealing to the reversion of different sectors [5]. Based on this theory and the middle class became the major objective to combined with the tendencies in 1970s such as maintain the healthy development of cities. compact urban forms, historical architecture Therefore, the social objectives of Garden City renewal, urban revitalization and mixed were reflected throughout the community division, new urbanism clearly puts forward designs of the garden cities, which advocated integrated theories about different forms of the harmonious development between the urban development, and the theoretical society and the nature, a reasonable density, paradigm of new urbanism was established. affordable residences which could be accepted In fact, even the scholars of new urbanism by each family, and the community residents admit that when people try to find the origin 267 who could enjoy independence. In the specific the "Neighborhood Units" theory to adapt to design concepts, Garden City, on the one hand, the development of the urban motor offered the detailed zoning and boundary in the transportation in attempt to redesign the layout urban functions, emphasized the importance of of the residential areas at the center and at the the urban system, and limited the suburban edge of the city. With a continuation of the sprawl by reasonably using the multilayer compact layout concept of Garden City, it layout of a central city with satellite towns and advocated the mixed use of land, construction the strict land sizes. On the other hand, it of public spaces and harmonious neighborhood outlined a layout with harmony between the relationships. It focused on the construction of society and the nature; it also created the public facilities in the community, called for mutual coordination between work places and the school-centered community construction public spaces by building gardens around the mode, promoted the development of public central city, using wide traffic connection spaces linked by the neighborhood relationship, between the central city and satellite towns, and enhanced the social justice and the class and setting greenbelts and public

Load more