Sir Ebenezer Howard (29 January 1850 – 1 May 1928) was an English

urban planner An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning. An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, tow ...

and founder of the

garden city movement The garden city movement was a 20th century urban planning movement promoting satellite communities surrounding the central city and separated with greenbelts. These Garden Cities would contain proportionate areas of residences, industry, and ...

, known for his publication '' To-Morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform'' (1898), the description of a

utopian A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia'', describing a fictional island socie ...

city in which people live harmoniously together with nature. The publication resulted in the founding of the

, and the building of the first garden city,

Letchworth Garden City Letchworth Garden City, commonly known as Letchworth, is a town in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It is noted for being the first garden city. The population at the time of the 2011 census was 33,249. Letchworth ...

, commenced in 1903. The second true Garden City was

Welwyn Garden City Welwyn Garden City ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London. It was the second garden city in England (founded 1920) and one of the first new towns (designated 1948). It is unique in being both a garden city and a new town and ...

(1920) and the movement influenced the development of several model suburbs in other countries, such as

Forest Hills Gardens Forest Hills is a mostly residential neighborhood in the central portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. It is adjacent to Corona to the north, Rego Park and Glendale to the west, Forest Park to the south, Kew Gardens to the southeast ...

Pinelands, Cape Town Pinelands is an affluent garden city suburb located on the edge of the southern suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa, neighbouring the suburb of Thornton, and is known for its large thatched houses and green spaces. The suburb is primarily resident ...

and the Suburban Resettlement Program towns of the 1930s (

Greenbelt, Maryland Greenbelt is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and a suburb of Washington, D.C. At the 2020 census, the population was 24,921. Greenbelt is the first and the largest of the three experimental and controversial New Dea ...

;

Greenhills, Ohio Greenhills is a village in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,615 at the 2010 census. A planned community, it was established by the United States government during the Great Depression. Most of the village is a National ...

; Greenbrook, New Jersey and

Greendale, Wisconsin Greendale is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 14,854 at the 2020 census. Greendale is located southwest of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is a part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. A planned community, ...

). Howard aimed to reduce the alienation of humans and society from nature, and hence advocated garden citiesClark, B 2003
'Ebenezer Howard and the marriage of town and country'
, Archives of Organizational and Environmental Literature, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 87–97. and

Georgism Georgism, also called in modern times Geoism, and known historically as the single tax movement, is an economic ideology holding that, although people should own the value they produce themselves, the economic rent derived from land—includi ...

. Howard is believed by many to be one of the great guides to the town planning movement, with many of his garden city principles being used in modern town planning.March, A 2004, 'Democratic dilemmas, planning and Ebenezer Howard's Garden City', Planning Perspectives, vol. 19, pp. 409–433.

Early life

Howard was born in Fore Street, City of London, the son of Ebenezer Howard (18171900), a baker, and Ann (née Tow, 18161900).Death Certificate, General Register Office (Southport): Ann Howard wife of Ebenezer Howard, pastrycook (master), died 23 November 1900, aged 84, at 127 Evering Road, Hackney.Death Certificate, General Register Office (Southport): Ebenezer Howard, pastrycook (master), died 24 November 1900, aged 83, at 127 Evering Road, Hackney. He was sent to schools in Suffolk and Hertfordshire. Howard left school at 15 and began working as a stenographer in London. Howard subsequently had several clerical jobs, including one with Dr Parker of the City Temple. In 1871, at the age of 21, influenced partly by a farming uncle, Howard emigrated with two friends to America. He went to

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

, and after his farming efforts failed, discovered he did not wish to be a farmer. He then relocated to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

and worked as a reporter for the courts and newspapers. Howard arrived in Chicago just after the great fire of 1871, which destroyed most of the central business district, and witnessed the regeneration of the city and the growth of its suburbs. In the US he became acquainted with, and admired, poets

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among ...

and

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a cham ...

. Howard began to ponder ways to improve the quality of life.

Later life

By 1876 he was back in England, where he found a job with

Hansard ''Hansard'' is the traditional name of the transcripts of parliamentary debates in Britain and many Commonwealth countries. It is named after Thomas Curson Hansard (1776–1833), a London printer and publisher, who was the first official prin ...

company, which produces the official

verbatim Verbatim means word for word. Verbatim may also refer to: * Verbatim (brand), a brand of storage media and flash memory * Verbatim (horse), an American racehorse * ''Verbatim'' (magazine), edited by Erin McKean * Verbatim theatre Documentary th ...

record of

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

, and he spent the rest of his life in this occupation. Howard's time in parliament exposed him to ideas about social reform, and helped inspire his ideas for the Garden City. In August 1879 he married Eliza Ann Bills. Howard has been described as a humble and practical inventor who used his spare time to create outlines of new cities. It was the social milieu of the 1800s which led Howard to consider the social problems of the time and try to find alternatives. Howard mingled with free thinkers, anarchists and socialists, whose revolutionary and reforming ideas greatly influenced him. Howard's parents died on consecutive days in 1900, after he had published the first edition of his book, but before work had started on the first garden city: his mother died on 23 November 1900 from pneumonia and his father died on 24 November 1900 from

gastritis Gastritis is inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It may occur as a short episode or may be of a long duration. There may be no symptoms but, when symptoms are present, the most common is upper abdominal pain (see dyspepsia). Other possi ...

. Howard's wife Eliza Ann Bills (1853–1904) died in November 1904, shortly after work on the first garden city at Letchworth had begun. Howard married again in 1907 to Edith Annie Hayward (1864–1941), who became Edith, Lady Howard when Howard was knighted in 1927, and with whom he is buried in Letchworth Cemetery.

Influences and ideas

Howard read widely, including

Edward Bellamy Edward Bellamy (March 26, 1850 – May 22, 1898) was an American author, journalist, and political activist most famous for his utopian novel ''Looking Backward''. Bellamy's vision of a harmonious future world inspired the formation of numerou ...

's 1888 utopian novel, ''

Looking Backward ''Looking Backward: 2000–1887'' is a utopian science fiction novel by Edward Bellamy, a journalist and writer from Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts; it was first published in 1888. The book was translated into several languages, and in short o ...

'', and

Henry George Henry George (September 2, 1839 – October 29, 1897) was an American political economist and journalist. His writing was immensely popular in 19th-century America and sparked several reform movements of the Progressive Era. He inspired the eco ...

's economic treatise, ''

Progress and Poverty ''Progress and Poverty: An Inquiry into the Cause of Industrial Depressions and of Increase of Want with Increase of Wealth: The Remedy'' is an 1879 book by social theorist and economist Henry George. It is a treatise on the questions of why pover ...

'', and thought much about social issues. He disliked the way modern cities were being developed and thought people should live in places that should combine the best aspects of both cities and the countryside.

Publications

The only publication he wrote in his life was titled '' To-Morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform'', which was significantly revised in 1902 as ''

Garden Cities of To-morrow ''Garden Cities of To-morrow'' is a book by the British urban planner Ebenezer Howard. When it was published in 1898, the book was titled ''To-morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform''. In 1902 it was reprinted as ''Garden Cities of To-Morrow''. ...

''. Garden Cities of To-morrow was based on ideas of social and urban reform. Garden Cities were to avoid the downfalls of industrial cities of the time such as urban poverty, overcrowding, low wages, dirty alleys with no drainage, poorly ventilated houses, toxic substances, dust, carbon gases, infectious disease and lack of interaction with nature. 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 (pictured), which addressed the question 'Where will the people go?', the choices being 'Town', 'Country' or 'Town-Country'. Garden Cities of Tomorrow proposed that society be reorganised with networks of garden cities that would break the strong hold of capitalism and lead to cooperative socialism. It proposed the creation of new suburban towns of limited size, planned in advance, and surrounded by a permanent belt of agricultural land. These Garden cities were used as the model for many suburbs. Howard believed that such Garden Cities were the perfect blend of city and nature. Howard believed that a new civilisation could be found by marrying the town and the country. The towns would be largely independent, managed by the citizens who had an economic interest in them, and financed by ground rents on the

Georgist Georgism, also called in modern times Geoism, and known historically as the single tax movement, is an economic ideology holding that, although people should own the value they produce themselves, the economic rent derived from Land (economics), ...

model. The land on which they were to be built was to be owned by a group of trustees and leased to the citizens. While many believe the diagrams and designs in Howard's Garden Cities of Tomorrow to be a physical plan for the perfect garden city, Howard notes these to be merely suggestive as each city should be planned to be organised as per the needs of the people and their environment. Howard never intended for garden cities to be circular like his diagrams.

Action

In 1899 he founded the Garden Cities Association, known now as the Town and Country Planning Association. By his association with

Henry Harvey Vivian Henry Harvey Vivian (20 April 1868 – 30 May 1930) was an English trade unionist, and Liberal Party politician and campaigner for industrial democracy and co-partnership, especially noted for his work in co-partnership housing. Biography Vivian ...

and the

co-partnership housing movement Housing co-partnership was a social movement that developed alongside the garden city movement in Britain between 1900 and 1914 and which financed and built most of the suburbs and villages associated with that movement. It was also a unique form of ...

his ideas attracted enough attention and funding to begin

, a suburban garden city north of London. In 1901, under the guidance of Henry Vivian, a new co-partnership housing development venture was started in the

London Borough of Ealing The London Borough of Ealing () is a London borough in West London. It comprises seven major towns: Acton (W3), Ealing (W5, W13, NW10), Greenford (UB6), Hanwell (W7), Northolt (UB5), Perivale (UB6) and Southall (UB1, UB2). With a population ...

that was to become the

Brentham Garden Suburb Brentham Garden Suburb near Pitshanger in Ealing was the first garden suburb in London to be built in co-partnership housing movement principles, predating the larger and better-known Hampstead Garden Suburb by some years. It was mostly built be ...

, now a conservation area. A second garden city,

, was started after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. His acquaintance with German architects

Hermann Muthesius Adam Gottlieb Hermann Muthesius (20 April 1861 – 29 October 1927), known as Hermann Muthesius, was a German architect, author and diplomat, perhaps best known for promoting many of the ideas of the English Arts and Crafts movement within German ...

and

Bruno Taut Bruno Julius Florian Taut (4 May 1880 – 24 December 1938) was a renowned German architect, urban planner and author of Prussian Lithuanian heritage ("taut" means "nation" in Lithuanian). He was active during the Weimar period and is kno ...

resulted in the application of humane design principles in many large housing projects built in the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a Constitutional republic, constitutional federal republic for the first time in ...

. Hermann Muthesius also played an important role in the creation of Germany's first garden city of

Hellerau Hellerau is a northern quarter ''(Stadtteil)'' in the city of Dresden, Germany, slightly south of Dresden Airport. It was the first garden city in Germany. The northern section of Hellerau absorbed the village of Klotzsche, where some 18th cent ...

in 1909, the only German garden city where Howard's ideas were thoroughly adopted. The creation of

and

were influential for the development of "

New Towns A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...

" after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

by the British government. This produced more than 30 communities, the first being

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Steven ...

, Hertfordshire (about halfway between Letchworth and Welwyn), and the last (and largest) being

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...

, Buckinghamshire. Howard's ideas also influenced other planners such as Frederick Law Olmsted II and

Clarence Perry Clarence Arthur Perry (1872 – September 6, 1944) was an American urban planner, sociologist, author, and educator. Perry devised the neighbourhood unit plan, a residential community scheme disseminated through the Regional Plan of New York and I ...

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

used elements of Howard's concepts in his original design for

EPCOT Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unre ...

(Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow). In 1913 Howard founded the 'Garden Cities and Town Planning Association' – presently the International Federation for Housing and Planning. Its goal was to promote the concept of planned housing and to improve the general standard of the profession by the international exchange of knowledge and experience. Howard was an enthusiastic speaker of

Esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communic ...

, often using the language for his speeches. Howard is buried in a modest grave in Letchworth Cemetery with his second wife Edith Annie, Lady Howard.

Letchworth Garden City

Letchworth was developed and owned by a company called First Garden City, Ltd. which was formed in 1903, based on the ideas of Howard.Bonham-Carter, E 1951, 'Planning and development of Letchworth garden city', Town Planning Review, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 362–376. After Howard's book was published he worked to gain financial support to bring his ideas into reality, Howard ran lectures on Garden Cities and began the Garden City Association. The Garden City Association collected money from supporters, his supporters tended to be people who were impressed by the social justice element of the Garden City. The Letchworth estate which was agricultural land, was purchased from 15 individual owners. The Letchworth estate lies on a train line and is only from London, making commuting possible. The original land on which Letchworth was built cost the First Garden City, Ltd. £160,378 and covered . However, more land was purchased and the property increased to . The Letchworth garden city was to sustain a population of between 30,000 and 35,000 people, and would be laid out as Howard explained in his book. There would be a central town, agricultural belt, shops, factories, residences, civic centres and open spaces, this division of land for specific purposes is now referred to as zoning and is an important practice within town planning. Howard constructed Letchworth as an example of how the Garden City could be achieved, and hoped that in its success many other towns would be built emulating the same ideals. Some criticisms of Letchworth exist, claims that it is too spacious and there are few architecturally impressive designs. However, it can be argued the space is what makes Letchworth pleasant, and the architecture, while not highly impressive and uniform, has consistency of colour and is satisfying to the needs of the people.

Welwyn Garden City

Welwyn Garden City was an area of woodlands and open fields before the garden city was constructed.British Medical Journal 1930, 'Ten years of Welwyn Garden City', The British Medical Journal, vol. 1, no. 3625, pp. 1184. Welwyn Garden City was Howard's second Garden City after Letchworth. Howard purchased the land with £5000 borrowed from friends. Welwyn Garden City is only from London, and captured the charm of the countryside and managed to stay unspoiled by urbanisation. The architecture in Welwyn has been described as pleasant, and the residential cottages with their wide roads and open spaces make Welwyn Garden City a refreshing picture when compared to London of the time. After 10 years of existence Welwyn Garden City had a population of 10,000, with well-established residential, industrial and commercial zones. In 1930 the health of Welwyn Garden City inhabitants was considered greater than those living in London, as Welwyn Garden City recorded lower death rates and infant mortality rates. The increased health in Welwyn Garden City was understood to be due to the principles of the Garden City. It could be argued that Welwyn Garden City fell short of Howard's ideals, Howard wanted investors to invest for the sake of philanthropy, but investors wanted returns and local democracy failed with an exclusive government group formed. Finally, Welwyn Garden City was marketed as a middle class commuter suburb, entirely disrespecting the garden city ideals of a self-reliant city.

Honours

Howard was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1924 and a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are ...

in 1927.

Howard Medal

The Howard medal was introduced after Howard’s death, and takes the form of a Bronze medal with the motif of an ideal city. The medal remains one of the most prestigious awards in the sector. In almost 90 years, the medal has been awarded 11 times and the names are a stellar cast of Garden City giants beginning with

Raymond Unwin Sir Raymond Unwin (2 November 1863 – 29 June 1940) was a prominent and influential English engineer, architect and town planner, with an emphasis on improvements in working class housing. Early years Raymond Unwin was born in Rotherham, York ...

in 1938 and ending with

Colin Ward Colin Ward (14 August 1924 – 11 February 2010)

and Sir Peter Hall in 1999. It includes Barry Parker,

Lewis Mumford Lewis Mumford (October 19, 1895 – January 26, 1990) was an American historian, sociologist, philosopher of technology, and literary critic. Particularly noted for his study of cities and urban architecture, he had a broad career as a w ...

Clarence Stein Clarence Samuel Stein (June 19, 1882 – February 7, 1975) was an American urban planner, architect, and writer, a major proponent of the garden city movement in the United States. Biography Stein was born in Rochester, New York into an upwardl ...

, Richard Reiss,

Patrick Abercrombie Sir Leslie Patrick Abercrombie (; 6 June 1879 – 23 March 1957) was an English regional and town planner. Abercrombie was an academic during most of his career, and prepared one city plan and several regional studies prior to the Second Worl ...

and Frederic Osborn but only one woman,

Elizabeth Buchanan Mitchell Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sc ...

in 1955.

Family members

The actor, dancer and TV personality Una Stubbs was Howard's great-granddaughter. Other direct descendants include his cricket manager grandson Geoffrey Howard, another great-granddaughter, the poet and publisher Joy Bernadine Howard and his great-great-grandson (Una Stubbs's son), the television and film score composer

Christian Henson Christian Henson (born 25 December 1971) is a British composer, primarily working on television and film soundtracks. He has also soundtracked video games, and is the co-founder of Spitfire Audio with fellow composer Paul Thomson. Henson has been ...

Diagrams from the 1898 edition

File:Howard, Ebenezer, To-morrow.jpg , Ebenezer Howard, To-morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform. File:Diagram No.1 (Howard, Ebenezer, To-morrow.).jpg , Diagram No.1: The Three Magnets (Ebenezer Howard, To-morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform.) File:Diagram No.2 (Howard, Ebenezer, To-morrow.).jpg , Diagram No.2 (Ebenezer Howard, To-morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform.) File:Diagram No.3 (Howard, Ebenezer, To-morrow.).jpg , Diagram No.3 (Ebenezer Howard, To-morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform.) File:Diagram No.4 (Howard, Ebenezer, To-morrow.).jpg , Diagram No.4 (Ebenezer Howard, To-morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform.) File:Diagram No.5 (Howard, Ebenezer, To-morrow.).jpg , Diagram No.5 (Ebenezer Howard, To-morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform.) File:Diagram No.6 (Howard, Ebenezer, To-morrow.).jpg , Diagram No.6 (Ebenezer Howard, To-morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform.) File:Diagram No.7 (Howard, Ebenezer, To-morrow.).jpg , Diagram No.7 (Ebenezer Howard, To-morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform.)

Diagrams from the 1922 edition

File:ハワード『明日の田園都市』3版-01.jpg , Ebenezer Howard, Garden Cities of To-morrow. File:ハワード『明日の田園都市』3版-02.jpg , Ebenezer Howard, Garden Cities of To-morrow. File:ハワード『明日の田園都市』3版-03.jpg , Ebenezer Howard, Garden Cities of To-morrow. File:ハワード『明日の田園都市』3版-04.jpg , Diagram No.1 (Ebenezer Howard, Garden Cities of To-morrow.) File:ハワード『明日の田園都市』3版-05.jpg , Diagram No.2 (Ebenezer Howard, Garden Cities of To-morrow.) File:ハワード『明日の田園都市』3版-06.jpg , Diagram No.3 (Ebenezer Howard, Garden Cities of To-morrow.) File:ハワード『明日の田園都市』3版-07.jpg , Diagram No.4 (Ebenezer Howard, Garden Cities of To-morrow.)

References

External links

Sir Ebenezer Howard and the Garden City MovementTown and Country Planning Association
* *
Garden Cities of Tomorrow
' at archive.org
International Federation for Housing and Planning
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Ebenezer 1850 births 1928 deaths English urban planners City founders Urban theorists English Esperantists Knights Bachelor Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from the City of London Burials in Hertfordshire