Patrick Geddes

Cities in evolution
London, Williams & Norgate, 1915
Idealism and matter of fact are thus not sundered, but inseparable, as our daily steps are guided by ideals of direction, themselves unreachably beyond the stars, yet indispensable to getting anywhere, save indeed downwards. Eutopia, then, lies in the city around us; and it must be planned and realised, here or nowhere, by us as its citizenseach a citizen of both the actual and the ideal city seen increasingly as one. (p. II) The definition of culture in terms of " the best that has been known and done in the world " is but half the truth, that which mourns or meditates among the tombs; the higher meaning of culture is also nearer its primitive sense, which finds in the past not only fruit but seed, and so prepares for a coming spring, a future harvest. History is not ended with our historian's "periods"; the world is ever beginning anew, each community with it, each town and quarter. (p. 366)

Chapter XIII Education for town planning, and the need of civics
For here not only immediate city improvement, but fuller city development are being considered on all levels, elemental and economic, idealistic and cultural; and these increasingly together, towards architectonic unity. (p. 296) The technical education of the town planner [] foundation of a Chair in the university of Liverpool [] there has been arising a school of town planning in the best sense, that of a school of thought as well as instruction, and with its organ, the Town Planning Review. (297) Yet for each town - planning education must be protected from falling into that too external and technical discipline which has been the bane of architectural instruction. How may this be assured? In one way only: by accompanying it with a vital initiation also, that into the life and working of the city; in a word, then, by the study of civics. Architecture has always rightly claimed to be regulative of the arts; and now town planning makes this claim in turn to be regulative for architecture. If so, there is no avoiding or escaping from a still further claim, that of civics, as regulative and educative for town planning. (298) Necessit di Urbanistica come scienza e di strutturazio ne di studi specialistici per urbanisti

unless the ideal keep the city, its police, army, dreadnoughts, and watchmen generally, watch in vain. (300) This insistence is indeed already begun by our scientific allies the psychologists, and particularly by the social psychologists, who are our very scouts and pioneers. [] What the psychologists are thus seeing for individuals and groups, we are learning to see also for cities, and for present and future cities as well as for the past ones generalised by King David of old. (301-2) There in the past still stand Jerusalem, Athens, Rome: here in the present we progressive Americans, Germans, AngloSaxons, carrying on the torch as best we maywhat are we after all but the old barbarians, with our men of genius ever and anon rekindling our constantly failing lights from these old cities and their morning-lands of our civilisation ? " For 'tis far in the deeps of history the voice that speak clear." Those who do not see and feel this indebtedness to the past, are they not for the most part but dulled in the smoke-cloud of paleotechnic industry which overpowers their overgrown working villages ? To discern, then, the ideals which build cities and which keep them, is thus the supreme problem of civics as history ; and civics as science. To interpret them is civics as philosophy; and to renew them, city by city, is its quest, its task, its coming artwith which our " politics " will recover its ancient and vital civic meaning.(304-5) There is some virtue and value in that reconstructive effort especially urged in these pageswith its growing reunion of citizens with planners, builders with gardeners, laborers with craftsmen, and artists with engineers; and all towards the betterment ofthe city's homes, the corresponding future of its children. With this element of group-idealism, others will follow, and find expression, in time even comparable to those of old. (306) Must not therefore the town planner's reference collection and library, which is plainly needed, and not only in London, but for each and every conurbation, embrace the essential literature of civics, as well as its wealth of plans and technical reports ? (311)

CHAPTER XIV The study of Cities

How best can we set about the study of cities ? How organise speedily in each, in all, and therefore here and there among ourselves to begin with, a common understanding as to the methods required to make observations orderly, comparisons fruitful, and generalisations safe ? It is time for sociologiststhat is for all who care for the advance of science into the social worldto be bringing order into these growing inquiries, these limitless fields of knowledge. (312) Studies of economics and statistics, of history and social philosophy in many schools, though each fascinating for a season, come to be felt inadequate. An escape from libraries and lecture-rooms, a return to direct observation is needed. [] 1. each in its turn may seem the safest clue with which to penetrate the city's labyrinth. Geographer and historian, economist and aesthete, politician and philosopher have all to be utilised as guides in turn ; and from each of these approaches one learns much, yet never sufficient [] (313) 2. Again, as the need of co-ordination of all these and more constantly makes itself felt, the magnificent prosynthetic sketch of Comte's sociology or the evolutionary effort of Spencer reasserts its central importance, and with these also the historic Utopias. Necessit di uscire dall'astrattezz a teorica per osservare e interpretare con capacit molteplici il labirinto della citt

3.

But all such are too abstract constructions, and have as yet been lacking in concrete applications, either to the interpretation or to the improvement of cities; they are deficient in appreciation of their complex activities. (314)

In such ways and more, ideas accumulate, yet the difficulties of dealing with them also; for to leave out any
aspect or element of the community's life must so far lay us open to that reproach of crudely simplified theorising, for which we blame the political economist. (315)

Indeed with all sciences, as with the most ideal quests, the same principle holds good; we must live the life if
we would know the doctrine. Scientific detachment is but one mood, though an often needed one ; our quest cannot be attained without participation in the active life of citizenship. (317) 4. From this point of view, "when in Rome let us do as the Romans do"; let us be at home as far as may be in the characteristic life and activity, the social and cultural movements, of the city which is our home, even for the time being if we would understand its record and its spirit, its qualities and defects, and estimate its place in civilisation. (317) What if Aristotle, that old master of knowledge, turns out to have been literally, and not merely metaphorically, speaking in urging " the synoptic vision " ? [] And, if it be claimed that beyond the highest speculative education is the active, the ethical, may we not add to our surveys, service? And to our going about, doing good ?

Outlook Tower Alike for its own sake and as an evidence of what is so often missed by scientific and philosophic minds, that the synthetic vision to which they aspire may be reached more simply from the aesthetic and the emotional side, and thus be visual and concrete. In short, here, as elsewhere, children and artists may see more than the wise. For as there can be no nature study, no geography worth the name apart from the love and the beauty of Nature, so it is with the study of the City. (320) Briefly stated, this scheme is of the preservation and renascence of historic Edinburgh, from the standpoints both of town and gown; that is, at once as City and as University, and each at their best. (327)

1.

The whole topography of the town and its extensions must be taken into account, and this more fully than in the past, by the utilisation not only of maps and plans of the usual kind, but of contour maps, and, if possible, even relief models. Of soil and geology, climate, rainfall, winds, etc., maps are also easily obtained, or compiled from existing sources. (351)

2. 3.

For the development of the town in the past, historical material can usually be collected without undue difficulty (ibid.) By this study of the actual progress of town developments (which have often followed lines different from those laid down or anticipated at former periods) our present forecasts of future developments may usefully be aided and criticised. (352)

Metodologi e strumenti per l'analisi della citt

4.

In this way also appears the need of relating the given town not only to its immediate environs, but to the larger surrounding region. (ibid) The collaboration of rustic and urban points of view, of county and rural authorities, should thus as far as

possible be secured, and will be found of the greatest value. (ibid) 5. To the Exhibition of the City's Past and Present there therefore needs to be added a corresponding wall-space (a) to display good examples of town planning elsewhere; (b) to receive designs and suggestions towards the City's Future. (353)

CHAPTER XVII The Spirit of Cities

Yet all we have so far been accumulating are but materials towards our history, studies towards our picture, drafts towards our design. Of this first exhibition it is a main success to have demonstrated its own incompleteness: our present documentation is but a beginning (361) [v. piano della Val d'Aosta, volutamente una ricerca pi che un progetto] But since in the mass of prosperous English and American cities we too readily forget our historic past, and think only of our town in its recent industrial and railway developments, we have come to think of

Idealismo: compito this present type of town as in principle final, instead of itself in change and flux. It is a blind dell'urbaist a la view of history, as something done elsewhere and recorded in booksinstead of being, as it is, the very realizzazio della life-process of our city, its heredity and its momentum alike [] Our survey, then, is a means towards the ne cultura realisation of our community's life-history. This life-history is not past and done with; it is della incorporated with its present activities and character. All these again, plus such fresh influences as may comunit arise or intervene, are determining its opening future. From our survey of facts we have to prepare no locale (regionale) mere material record, economic or structural, but to evoke the social personality, changing indeed so far with every generation, yet ever expressing itself in and through these. (362-3)