Urban lessons for the modern planner: Patrick Abercrombie and the study of urban development

Abstract

As the first editor of the Town Planning Review, Patrick Abercrombie produced a significant number of contributions to early town planning literature. Through the discussion of a great variety of subjects, Abercrombie gradually defined a specific approach towards town planning. Echoing Patrick Geddes' survey-based planning philosophy, he sought to ground the discipline of planning in the analytical study of the city. Abercrombie's early writings reflect a vision of town planning oriented towards the identification of a structural framework within the development of the city which is instrumental in organising its future growth. This vision underscored the conceptual transition from a Civic Art tradition towards the technocratic planning practice manifest in his later career.