Ebenezer Howard proposed the garden city concept as a solution to problems in late 19th century cities. He envisioned self-sufficient towns of around 30,000 people, surrounded by greenbelts, that combined the benefits of town and country living without their drawbacks. Letchworth Garden City, built in 1903, was the first to implement Howard's ideas of concentric design and separation of housing, industry and agriculture. The garden city movement aimed to reform urban planning and integrate people more with nature.

1. THE GARDEN CITY
by EBENEZER HOWARD
THEORY OF URBAN PLANNING ARCHY BHATT

2. Sir Ebenezer Howard (29th January 1850– May 1st, 1928)
• Sir Ebenezer Howard was born as the son of a shopkeeper in the City of London, on 29th of
January 1850.
• After schooling, he took on a number of clerical posts.
• In 1871, he emigrated to the frontier country of America to become a farmer.
• He subsequently spent four years living in Chicago, witnessing it’s rebuilding following the
great fire.
• Sir Ebenezer Howard is known for his publication Garden Cities of To-morrow (1898), the
description of a utopian city in which people live harmoniously together with nature.
• The publication resulted in the founding of the garden city movement, that realized several
Garden Cities in Great Britain at the beginning of the 20th century.
GARDEN CITY MOVEMENT: The Origin
A garden city is a town designed for healthy living
and industry; of a size that makes possible a full
measure of social life, but not larger, surrounded
by a rural belt; each a self sufficient entity of
30000 population, ringed by an agricultural belt.
GARDEN CITY- THEORY OF URBAN PLANNING ARCHY BHATT

3. GARDEN CITIES OF TOMORROW : The Book
• This book offered a vision of towns free of slums and enjoying the
benefits of both town (such as opportunity, amusement and good
wages) and country (such as beauty, fresh air and low rents).
• He illustrated the idea with his famous Three Magnets diagram
which addressed 'Town', 'Country' or 'Town-Country'.
• It proposed the creation of new suburban towns of limited size,
planned in advance, and surrounded by a permanent belt of
agricultural land.
THE CURE - Sir Ebenezer Howard
• It is important to understand the context to which
Howard’s work was a reaction.
• London (and other cities) in the 19th century were
in the throws of industrialization, and the cities were
exerting massive forces on the labour markets
of the time.
• Massive immigration from the countryside to the
cities was taking place with London.
• To Howard the cure was simple - to reintegrate people with the countryside.
GARDEN CITY- THEORY OF URBAN PLANNING ARCHY BHATT

4. The Three Magnets Diagram (below) makes three points:
- Town life
- Country life
- Town-Country life can have all the benefits about
life in towns and life in the country - without any of
the shortcomings.
POSITIVEASPECTS NEGATIVEASPECTS
• Socialopportunity. • Closingoutofnature.
• Isolationofcrowds. • Highrents&prices.
• Placesofamusement. • FoulairandMurkysky.
• Chancesof
employment.
• Slums&ginpalaces.
• Highmoneywages. • Costlydrainage.
• Well-litstreets.
• Palatialedifices.
TOWN
POSITIVEASPECTS NEGATIVEASPECTS
• Beautyofnature. • Lackofsociety
• Landlyingidle. • Handsoutofwork.
• Wood,meadow,forest. • Trespassersbeware.
• Freshair. • Lowwages.
• Lowrents. • Lackofdrainage.
• Abundanceofwater. • Lackofamusement.
• Needforreform.
• Crowdeddwellings.
• Desertedvillages.
COUNTRY
THE THREE MAGNETS - The People, Where will they go?
GARDEN CITY- THEORY OF URBAN PLANNING ARCHY BHATT

5. TOWN-COUNTRY
COMBINATION OF BOTH ASPECTS
Beauty of nature- peace all-over the places.
Social opportunity- cumulative growth.
Fields and parks of easy access- equal chances.
Low rents- high wages.
Low rates- plenty to do.
Low prices.
Field for enterprise- flow of capital.
Pure air and water- good drainage.
Bright homes & gardens- no smoke, no slums.
• In trying to understand and represent the attraction of the city he compared each city to a magnet, with
individuals represented as needles drawn to the city.
• Instead he believed that “Human society and the beauty of nature are meant to be enjoyed together” –
hence giving his solution “the two magnets must be made one.”
• "Town and country must be united, and out of this joyous union, will spring a new hope, a new life, a
new civilization."
GARDEN CITY- THEORY OF URBAN PLANNING ARCHY BHATT

6. The original Garden City concept by Ebenezer
Howard, 1902.
Assumed data-
• A total of 6000 acre estate
• 1000 acres, purely for the central garden city as
a home for 30000 people.
• Surrounding the central city 5000 Acres of land
is retained for agriculture and home for 2000
people, with cow pastures, farmlands, and
welfare services.
GARDEN CITY DATAS
• Central City:
Area: 12000 acres.
Population : 58000 people
• Agglomeration Cities:
Area: 9000 acres
Population: 32000 people
• Distance between central main city
and the agglomeration: ~10km .
GARDEN CITY- THEORY OF URBAN PLANNING ARCHY BHATT

7. • Circular city growing in a radial manner or
pattern.
• Divided into six equal wards, by six main
Boulevards that radiated from the central
park/garden.
• Civic institutions (Town Hall, Library,
Hospital, Theatre, Museum etc. ) are
placed around the central garden.
• The central park enclosed by a crystal
palace acts as an arcade for indoor shops
and winter gardens.
• The streets for houses are formed by a
series of concentric ringed tree lined
avenues.
• Distance between each ring vary between
3-5km .
CONCEPTUAL LAYOUT
GARDEN CITY- THEORY OF URBAN PLANNING ARCHY BHATT

8. • A 420 feet wide , 3 mile long, Grand
avenue which run in the center of
concentric rings , houses the schools and
churches and acts as a continuous public
park.
• All the industries, factories and warehouses
were placed at the periferal ring of the city.
• The municipal railway was placed in
another ring closer to the industrial ring ,
so that the pressure of excess transport on
the city streets are reduced and the city is
connected to the rest of the nation.
• All the industries, factories and warehouses
were placed at the periferal ring of the city.
• The municipal railway was placed in
another ring closer to the industrial ring , so
that the pressure of excess transport on the
city streets are reduced and the city is
connected to the rest of the nation.
GARDEN CITY- THEORY OF URBAN PLANNING ARCHY BHATT

9. • Assuming the Garden City model was implemented and found to be successful Howard
begins to describe how the City could grow and become part of an integrated network of
Garden Cities.
• The principle of “always preserving a belt of country” around cities should always be
maintained, argues Howard, so once a city has reached capacity a new one must be
founded outside the agricultural belt (the influence of colonial-models prominent).
• Eventually there a central city (of perhaps 58,000 inhabitants) would be surrounded by a
number of smaller off-shoot cities, connected by railroad and canal infrastructure.
CITY GROWTH
CONCLUSION
• Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City concept shows us a place where genuine urban activities
are carried at human scale.
• The garden city introduced the use of greenbelts that have served many uses including the
preservation of agricultural and rural life, nature and heritage conservation, recreation,
pollution minimization, and growth management.
• Garden city tradition endowed urban planning with a social and community dimensions.
• The garden city idea however, showed how both industrial estates and collective retailing
spaces could be used within a comprehensive planning approach to serve public purposes.
GARDEN CITY- THEORY OF URBAN PLANNING ARCHY BHATT

10. GARDEN CITY PRINCIPLE IN PRACTICE
LETCHWORTH, UNITED KINGDOM
The first Garden City evolved out of Howard’s
principles is Letchworth Garden City designed by
Raymond Unwin and Barry Parker in 1903.
35 MILES FROM LONDON
Letchworth Garden City- Arrangement from top.
GARDEN CITY- THEORY OF URBAN PLANNING ARCHY BHATT
• Letchworth, officially Letchworth Garden City, is a
town in Hertfordshire, England, with a population of
33,600
• It was designed by Raymond Unwin and Barry
Parker.
• Letch worth – 35 miles
from London
• Land of 3822 acres
• Reserved Green belt- 1300 acres
• Designed for a maximum of
35000 population
• In 30 years – developed with
15000 population &
150 shops, industries.

11. Green belt refers to any area of undeveloped natural land that has been set aside near urban or
developed land to provide open space, offer light recreational opportunities or contain
development. The green belt is important to the ecological health of any region. Green belts acts
as a buffer zone and within the city too between the residential and the industrial zones.
RESIDENTIAL RESIDENTIAL
COMMERCIALGREEN BELT
GARDEN CITY- THEORY OF URBAN PLANNING ARCHY BHATT

12. WELWYN, UNITED KINGDOM
• Welwyn Garden City is a town within the Borough of
Welwyn Hatfield in Hertfordshire, England.
• It is located approximately 19 miles from Kings Cross
and 24 miles from London.
• On 29 April 1920 a company, Welwyn Garden City Limited, was formed to plan and build
the garden city, chaired by Sir Theodore Chambers. Louis de Soissons was appointed as
architect and town planner and Frederic Osborn as secretary.
.
Welwyn Garden City- Arrangement from top.
STATS:
• Land of 2378 acres
• Designed for a maximum of 40000
population
• In 15 years – developed with 10000
population & 50 shops, industries.
The second one to evolve was Welwyn Garden City
designed by Louis de Soissons and Frederic Osborn in
1920.
GARDEN CITY- THEORY OF URBAN PLANNING ARCHY BHATT

13. • Streets are designed so as to
give the concept of a
Neighborhood unit.
• Separation of the pedestrian
walkways from the main
roads gives a sense of natural
beauty.
• Open and green spaces are
Given on a large scale.
GARDEN CITY- THEORY OF URBAN PLANNING ARCHY BHATT

14. RADBURN, NEW JERSEY
• Another example was Radburn City designed by
Clarence Stein and Henry Wright in 1928.
• Radburn was planned by architects Clarence Stein
and Henry Wright in 1928.
• It is America’s first garden community, serving as a
world wide example of the harmonious blending of
private space and open area.
• Radburn was designed to occupy one square mile of
land and house some 25,000 residents.
• However, the Great Depression limited the
development to only 149 acres.
• Radburn created a unique alternative to the
conventional suburban development through the use
of cul-de-sacs, interior parklands, and cluster
housing.
• The Regional Planning Association of America
(RPAA) used Radburn as a garden city experiment.
• Residential areas
• 149 acres of interior parks,
• Walkways.
• 2 swimming pools,
• 4 tennis courts,
• 2 playgrounds,
• Archery plaza and a school,
• 2 outdoor basketball courts
• A community center, which
houses administrative offices,
library, gymnasium, clubroom
and service and maintenance
areas.
UNITED
STATES
PHILADELPHIA
GARDEN CITY- THEORY OF URBAN PLANNING ARCHY BHATT

15. ELEMENTS OF THE RADBURN CITY
• Park as backbone of the neighborhood.
• Specialized Highway system, Complete
separation of vehicular and pedestrian traffic
with 21% of road areas.
• The Radburn planners achieved the separation
of vehicular and pedestrian traffic through the
use of the superblocks, cul-de-sacs, and
pedestrian-only pathways.
• Through the use of the superblock, houses in
Radburn were uniquely designed to have two
fronts.
• The ‘back side’ of the house, what we would
normally consider the front side, faced the
culs-de-sac and parking.
GARDEN CITY- THEORY OF URBAN PLANNING ARCHY BHATT

16. •The ‘front side’ of the house faced towards the green
spaces or parks encouraging pedestrian traffic.
•The kitchen was normally placed in the back to provide
visitors a place to enter the house.
•Since automobiles were given limited access to the
‘backs’ of the houses, the ‘fronts’ of the house were
relatively quiet, therefore, the bedrooms were always
placed on this side of the house.
•The 2900 residents of Radburn share 23 acres of
interior parks, which yield 345 square feet / person.
Parks and greenbelt
GARDEN CITY- THEORY OF URBAN PLANNING ARCHY BHATT