HUMAN

SETTLEMENTS
AND TOWN
PLANNING

Submitted by :
Umama samreen
16121AA040
 Sir Patrick Geddes (2 October
1854 – 17 April 1932) was a
Scottish biologist, a sociologist,
geographer, philanthropist and
pioneering town planner. He is
known for his innovative thinking
in the fields of
urbanplanning and sociology

“Rural
development,Urban
planning and City
Design are not the
same and adopting a
common planning is
disastrous.”

He introduced the concept of

"region" to architecture and
planning and coined the term
"conurbation".
Planning Philosophies
1. The concept of “ Place, Work
and Folk ”
2. Diagnostic Survey and
Conservative Surgery
3. The Outlook Tower and Public
Participation in planning
4. Section Principles
5. Classification of settlements
and emphasis of regional planning
of view in planning.

“Town Planning is not

mere place planning,
nor even work planning.
If it is to be successful
it must be folk-
planning”
– Sir Patrick
The Concept of “Place, Work and Folk”
1. An outcome of Geddes visit to India in 1915
2. There should be a relationship between the three
fundamentals- “Place, Work and Folk” otherwise the
whole process ceases to be planning
4. The task should not be to coerce people into
new places against their associations, wishes and
interests; instead its task is to find the right places
for each sort of people; places where they will
flourish.
5. When we talk of work, place and folk
comes Economics, Geography and
Sociology. Thus Geddes had the importance
of socio-economic survey while improving a
town or planning entirely a new town.
Diagnostic Survey &
Conservative Surgery
Diagnostic Survey:
City Planning must constantly keep in view the
whole city old and new alike in all its aspects
and at all its levels and then the problem of
city planning is to improve the situation by
turning its difficulties into opportunities.
Town Planning and City Design are not a new
science but the recovery of the life and
thought that is related to our civilization.
Conservative Surgery: It is more or less
a renewal process than a removal from places.
It brings out different and encouraging results
with a far less financial outlay. It demands long
and patient study.
While preparing general design for the
improvement of areas it may be done with or
without reference to the old town but should
be either regular and formal or individual and
informal and the latter is to be encouraged
especially for old towns.
e.g. Madurai and Balrampur Before After
The Outlook Tower and Public Participation in
Planning
1. A tall old building high on the ridge of old Edinburgh
overlooking the city and the surrounding regions.
2. The topmost storey allotted for visitors and artists and
children to have a broader outlook of the city and acted as
an open air –gallery.
3. The storeys below allotted for sciences starting from
Geography, Astronomy, Geology, Meteorology, Botany,
Zoology, Anthropology, History, Economics and so on.
4. The storeys further below having city maps, survey data
pertaining to the place continued till the ground floor which
consisted exhibition on the oriental civilization and general
study of man.
5. The Outlook Tower should be in each city having civic
observatory and laboratory, with its efforts towards
correlation of thought and action, science and practice,
sociology and morals besides the participation of public.
The Valley Section Principles
1. The geographical features, the contour and relief are
associated with the primitive occupation of man.

2. Accordingly the miner, the woodman, and hunter on

the heights, the shepherd on the grassy slopes, the poor
peasant on the lower slopes, the rich peasant on the
plain and finally the fisherman at sea coast.

3. They are not only controlled geographically but also

conditioned by their environment and occupation which
is manifested in their settlements.

4. The violation of these principles will not only result in

daily economic waste but also end in aesthetic ruin.