Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City Concept: Origins and Impact
Ebenezer Howard and the Garden City Concept
Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City concept, as outlined in his 1898 book Tomorrow: A Peaceful Path To Real Reform, proposed a new type of urban environment. The first experiment was Letchworth, built in 1903, followed by Welwyn in 1919, both in England. These became prototypes copied worldwide, especially during the post-war European reconstruction.
The Garden City attempted a third way, combining the benefits and opportunities of the city with the healthier life and natural surroundings of the countryside. The maximum population was set at 32,000 people, with a municipal area of 2400 hectares, 400 of which were occupied by the city. Urban areas were articulated by railroads. Land was acquired by a public entity under mortgage, with initial payments amortized and land rents used to finance local administration, ensuring autonomy and administrative policy independent of state intervention.
According to Segre, the experiment was a desperate attempt to prevent the petty bourgeoisie from proletarianization, but it failed to attract economic activity and resulted in precarious satellite cities of London (1988, p. 85).
The Garden City Project
The project featured a radiocentric hexagonal plan. From the hexagon’s center, a park extended towards boulevards and industrial/agricultural areas. Public buildings, such as the City Hall, Theater, Museum, art gallery, and concert hall, along with commercial spaces (located in a Crystal Palace-like structure), surrounded the park.
Residential zones formed concentric rings, totaling 5500 lots of 280 m2 each, on average. Some residential blocks included communal kitchens and gardens. Schools, sports centers, and a central church were located along the central avenue, forming a green belt separating residential and industrial areas. Streets, avenues, and boulevards were tree-lined. The agricultural area, located in the city’s suburbs, housed 2000 people.
The English Garden City Experience
Letchworth, 34 miles from London, affected by agricultural depression, possessed 3818 acres and was purchased and registered in 1903. Difficulties arose in obtaining loans and attracting industry. Early inhabitants were typically middle-class idealists, artists, and eccentrics. Only later did blue-collar workers arrive, fulfilling Howard’s idealized vision. By 1938, the population was only 15,000. Significant growth occurred only after World War II, thanks to decentralization schemes and government subsidies, which also led to real estate speculation.
Before Letchworth, Unwin and Parker (architects) were already working on a garden village project – New Earswick – next to a factory in North Yorkshire in 1900.
- New Earswick’s separation from the city is defined by a green belt. Villas are compactly arranged in blocks around grassy areas or along trails and alleys. A meadow and community-based features are central. Natural elements like rivers and trees are emphasized.
- Hampstead Garden Suburb, designed by Unwin in 1907, represented a decisive shift towards a suburban garden. It lacked industry and depended on the metro for services.
- Romantic ideals of beauty, spirituality, and peace underpinned the ideas of the Garden City movement. The writings of Ruskin and William Morris, who criticized industrialization and advocated for a simpler life focused on community and crafts, heavily influenced the authors and supporters of the Garden City concept (Hall, 1995, p. 108).
- The ideas of Camillo Sitte also had a strong influence.