University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2003 A Critical Assessment of Ian McHarg's Human Ecological Planning Curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania William John Cohen University of Pennsylvania Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Recommended Citation Cohen, William John, "A Critical Assessment of Ian McHarg's Human Ecological Planning Curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania" (2003). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 3087. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/3087 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/3087 For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Critical Assessment of Ian McHarg's Human Ecological Planning Curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania Abstract This dissertation is a critical assessment of the ecological and later human ecological planning curriculum as envisioned and promoted by Ian L. McHarg at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). An examination is made of the historical development—including its philosophical and academic antecedents—and the ultimate decline of the curriculum, covering the period 1954 to 2000, McHarg's tenure at Penn in the Graduate School of Fine Arts. The ecological and later human ecological planning curriculum became the essence of the Regional Planning program in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning that emerged in the 1969–1970 academic year and was finally terminated by 1994. The importance of this examination is twofold: first, to research the intellectual and pedagogical development of a curriculum that would train and prepare almost an entire generation of regional planners. It was widely recognized as the model interdisciplinary academic curriculum in the field of city and regional planning. Second, the importance of the decline and ultimate phasing out of the curriculum, as an intellectual and methodological base for training professional planners and designers, can establish certain parameters for the construction of future curricula that would emphasize ecological or environmental planning. Investigations relied on two basic sources. First, a group of twelve individuals were selected as a composite group, consisting of former members (or other associates of McHarg) in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, especially during his service as Chairman from 1957 to 1986. Second, extensive research utilized the Bulletins published by the Graduate School of Fine Arts for McHarg's entire tenure at Penn. The Bulletins (from 1954 to 1991) and later catalogues (after 1991) became the primary source of information to track development and changes to the Department's pedagogical statement, course offerings, and the composition of faculty. The conclusion is that there were many factors—personal, pedagogical-methodological, and external—that were responsible for the decline and ultimate termination of McHarg's human ecological planning curriculum. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group City & Regional Planning First Advisor John C. Keene This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/3087 A CRITICAL ASSESSMENT OF LAN MCHARG'S HUMAN ECOLOGICAL PLANNING CURRICULUM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA William John Cohen A DISSERTATION in City and Regional Planning Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2003 c Professor John C. Keene "Supervisor of Dissertation n.^r/Uv C, I'Lks-* professor John C. Keene jraduate Group Chairman Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. COPYRIGHT © William John Cohen 2003 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DEDICATION To Gerald F. Vaughn Dear friend and alter ego who helped me carry the torch from beginning to end and who continually urged adherence to the dictum Non lllegitmus Carborundum Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My first advisor and mentor at Penn was Anthony Tomazinis. I express my sincere gratitude for his continued support and sound guidance. A number of professors had a special impact on my intellectual development, and I thank each of them for the scholarly rigor they demanded and challenge they provided: Igor Kopytoff. Seymour Mandelbaum. Elliott Pavlos. Richard Tustian. and Greg Urban. Two staff members who were always there to help, and deserve my thanks: Kathleen Crossin (DCRP) and Ernestine Williams, former Registrar in GSFA. Several individuals either assisted in or made my research an easier task. Warm thanks go to George Clark. M.C.P.. Amey Hutchins. University .Archives, and Diane Pringle. Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning. Special thanks go to Rick Dunn. GSFA Registrar, who provided indispensable assistance. The twelve persons who were interviewed (identified in Chapter 4) gave me unique insights that became a crucial component of this dissertation. Particular thanks go to Nicholas Muhlenberg who steered me in the right direction from the beginning. I have dedicated this dissertation to Jerry Vaughn, friend and colleague for over 30 years, who has been an invaluable supporter and critic. He has my deepest thanks. My dissertation committee comprises three of the finest academic minds I have ever known. Jonathan Bamett has given me a new awareness of urban design. Elijah Anderson has opened my horizons to the varied dimensions of social life through ethnography. Finally, my gratitude is expressed to John Keene, my teacher and advisor, who has always been there, and has served a special role in my life at Penn—encouraging me to reach ever higher. iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. .ABSTRACT A CRITICAL ASSESSMENT OF LAN MCHARG'S HUMAN ECOLOGICAL PLANNING CURRICULUM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA William John Cohen John C. Keene Superv isor of Dissertation This dissertation is a critical assessment of the ecological and later human ecological planning curriculum as envisioned and promoted by Ian L. McHarg at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). .An examination is made of the historical development— including its philosophical and academic antecedents— and the ultimate decline of the curriculum, covering the period 1954 to 2000. McHarg's tenure at Penn in the Graduate School of Fine .Arts. The ecological and later human ecological planning curriculum became the essence of the Regional Planning program in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning that emerged in the 1969 - 1970 academic year and was finally terminated by 1994. The importance of this examination is twofold: first, to research the intellectual and pedagogical development of a curriculum that would train and prepare almost an entire generation of regional planners. It was widely recognized as the model Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. interdisciplinary academic curriculum in the field of city and regional planning. Second, the importance of the decline and ultimate phasing out of the curriculum, as an intellectual and methodological base for training professional planners and designers, can establish certain parameters for the construction of future curricula that would emphasize ecological or environmental planning. Investigations relied on two basic sources. First, a group of twelve individuals were selected as a composite group, consisting of former members (or other associates of McHarg) in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, especially during his service as Chairman from 1957 to 1986. Second, extensive research utilized the Bulletins published by the Graduate School of Fine Arts for McHarg's entire tenure at Penn. The Bulletins (from 1954 to 1991) and later catalogues (after 1991) became the primary source of information to track development and changes to the Department’s pedagogical statement, course offerings, and the composition of faculty. The conclusion is that there were many factors—personal, pedagogical- methodological, and external—that were responsible for the decline and ultimate termination of McHarg's human ecological planning curriculum. VI Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Chapter 1 - Introduction to the Dissertation and the Foundation Themes of McHarg's Approach to Planning 1 Introduction to the Dissertation 1 Structural Presentation of the Dissertation 2 The Foundation Themes of McHarg's Approach to Planning 10 The Picturesque 11 T ranscendentalism 13 Landscape Aesthetics 15 Environmentalism 17 The Scientific Field of Ecology 19 Human Ecology 22 The Systems Approach 26 Landscape Geography and Resource Economics 29 Empirical Planning Approaches: Geddes. Mumford, Howard, and MacKaye 31 Chapter 2 - McHarg's Approach to Planning and Design and the Ecological Planning Method 37 What Kind of Planning9 37 McHarg's Approach to Planning and Design 42 McHarg's Works 42 An Overview of McHarg's Theory of Ecological Planning 44 Distinguishing Between Ecological Planning and Ecological Design 47 Fusing Ecological Planning and Regional