From the archive: What is Town Planning? – Sir Raymond Unwin's reflections

As the English planning system is on the cusp of significant reform, the question of what town planning is has never been more relevant. This very question was posed by Sir Raymond Unwin back in 1912 during his first lecture at Birmingham University, which is discussed below. The full transcript of the lecture can be found in the TCPA’s online archive. 

Unwin was an influential town planner and architect. With fellow architect Richard Barry Parker, Unwin devised the initial town layout for Letchworth Garden City and Hampstead Garden Suburb.

‘The more one considers it [town planning], the harder It becomes to set down any forms of words which shall convey adequate meaning’ 

Sir Raymond Unwin’s reflections on the value of town planning still capture the core reasons that town planning remains so vitally important over 100 years later, including stimulating economic growth, improving the quality of life, and bringing new opportunities to the general populace. Viewed through this lens, town planning represents the medium through which people and buildings are transformed into thriving communities.  

‘It is difficult to exaggerate the direct economy, increased efficiency, improved opportunities of life which the organisation of towns may lead to, and the impetus which thereby be given to the development of a race of healthy and energetic citizens.’  

At its core, Unwin’s vision of town planning was focused on practitioners' breadth of understanding covering a vast array of relevant topics, an awareness of the needs of different groups of people, as well as a sense of imagination and creativity.  

Town planning was envisaged as a cooperative and collaborative profession, with links to a range of other experts and a connection with the people for whom the places were being designed.  

Planning was, and remains, an art form through which something beautiful, but most importantly liveable and usable, could be created for the benefit of the general population.  

‘Town planning should be … the work by one who, by his wide sympathy and imagination, shall become the medium as it were, through which all the various needs of the civic community can find expression and coordination…’ 

Although over 100 years have passed since Unwin’s reflections on town planning, we still face many of the same challenges such as poor-quality housing, as well as new ones including the threat of climate change, his vision for the sector remains as relevant as ever.  

Too often, planning is portrayed as a bureaucratic burden, when in reality it is one of our most invaluable tools to creating vibrant and thriving communities, as well as a means to tackle the multitude of challenges of 21st-century life. However, this vision for town planning can only be achieved when people and communities are placed at its heart. 

Read the full article in the TCPA’s archive: What is town planning? - January 1912