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Contribution of Patrick Geddes

Anannya Talukder
Research Scholar, Department of Humanities, Anna Malai University

ABSTRACT
PATRICK GEDDES KEYWORDS
BY Town planner, Geddisian Triad,
LIVING WE LEARN Geddes valley section,
Patrick Geddes was a man of diverse Conurbation theory,
interests and talents. Today he is Constellation concept
probably best known as a town
planner. However, he has also been INTRODUCTION
described as biologist, sociologist,
conservationist, educationist and
ecologist. Patrick Geddes is correctly described
as one of the founders of modern town
Geddes did much to improve the living
and regional planning. His theoretical
conditions in this local environment
ideas have influenced much
and was also a figure of international
importance. He travelled widely and subsequent planning practice, regional
corresponded with the key thinkers and economic development and
writers of the time such as Charles environmental management. In
Darwin, Mahatma Gandhi, and Nobel particular, his focus on the triad "Place
laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
- Work - Folk" is fundamental to
Above all, his aim was to see life contemporary debates and research
whole, and to achieve a better into regionalism and locality,
understanding of human beings in their
economic and community
natural, built and social environment.
regeneration, environmental quality
His ideas and concerns about the
environment, education, and and sustainable development and
conservation are still as relevant today social inclusion.
as they were in his own time.

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 InternationalJournalforSocialStudies Volume01 Issue01

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Patrick Geddes was born in Ballater Royal College of Mines in London

but spent his early childhood in Perth. under Thomas Henry Huxley between
He started his professional life as a 1874 and 1878, and lectured in
Geologist and, in 1879, discovered Zoology at Edinburgh University from
chlorophyll. Unfortunately, ill health 1880 to 1888. From 1920-23 he was
prevented him pursuing what would working as a professor of Civics and
have likely been a glittering career as a Sociology in University of
natural scientist. He turned instead to Bombay.Patrick Geddes -Also known
social analysis and applied his as Father of Modern Town
scientific methodology to the processes Planning and First to link
of economic, social and environmental sociological concepts into town
change. In 1888, he took up the post of planning .
Professor of Botany at University
College, Dundee and held this part PATRICK
time position until 1918. Geddes was GEDDES
based principally in Edinburgh during
this time and in parallel to his Sir Patrick Geddes (1854-1932) was a
academic interests became interested polymath a man of many parts. He
in urban and regional planning and was a biologist by training, a
urban renewal issues. pioneering town planner who
influenced various generations of
In light of the connection to Dundee urban planners, a sociologist and an
and Patrick Geddes' research interests educator throughout his life. A
in planning and environmental powerhouse of intellect and energy,
management, Town and Regional Geddes blazed his course from project
Planning has established him as to project at home in Scotland and
representative of its own research around the world for half a century.
interests, professional practice and Instead of a becoming a specialist, he
teaching activities. To this end, the was happy being a generalist, who
Geddes identity is now an integral part held a holistic view that in order to live
of the School. we must be able to see the intertwined
link between the natural and social
Geddes was the founder of the College sciences.
des Ecossaise (Scots College) an
international teaching establishment in Geddes had a lifelong contempt for
Montpellier, France. He studied at the examinations and never took a

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 InternationalJournalforSocialStudies Volume01 Issue01

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university degree. Yet, he held the

position of Chair of Botany at Many have been influenced by his
University of Dundee (1888 to 1919), work, including urban theorists such as
and Chair of Sociology at the Lewis Mumford. Geddes also set the
University of Bombay (1919 to 1924). foundation for future urban thinkers
His teaching style was conversational such as Jane Jacobs and the New
and involved out of class learning Urbanism movement which focuses on
through regular excursions and walkable neighbourhoods, variety of
observational visits. He urged his housing and occupation types.
students to practice this world view
where life was a learning process and Yet very few people know of the name
one could learn more by doing. Patrick Geddes, including in the
University where I obtained my
Geddes work was based on his masters degree in Sociology, located
fundamental principle of Place, Work in the city of Bombay (now called
and People as he believed that Mumbai) which desperately needs
geography; economics and massive amounts of urban planning to
anthropology were related, yielding a make it hospitable for man and nature
single chord of social life. He saw alike. At first I thought it was sad that
sociology as a quintessentially almost no one from my own
interdisciplinary subject that was department knew of this man. Yet, on
essentially the science of mans further reflection I saw this as a
interaction with a natural environment, refreshing change from the celebrity
and improved urban planning was one academic culture of today where many
of the key applications of academics brandish their publications,
sociology. Geddes revived the Old yet have very little substance or no
Town of Edinburgh using his ground effect on the world.
breaking concepts of diagnostic
surveys and conservative surgery, A true learner, Geddes believed that
which he went on to implement in one learned not by sitting in ivory
town planning projects across towers but by being in the world, by
Scotland, India and the Middle East. In walking in the world, by observing and
fact, Tel Aviv is a city whose core was asking and listening to people and
entirely built around Geddes plan. He incorporating their ways of life and
also introduced the concept of region their natural environment into the
to architecture and planning and coined design of sustainable solutions.
the term conurbation.

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Early life and influences: Europes progressive and radical

Born in October 1854 at Ballater in thinkers.
West Aberdeen, Scotland, Patrick
Geddes was raised and educated in the CONCEPTS
countryside of Perth. His was a
childhood spent gardening with his Patrick Geddes explained an
father, conducting science experiments organisms relationship to its
in the shed, exploring the nearby environment as follows:
woods and cliffs; and these
experiences taught Geddes deep The environment acts, through
lessons in ecology, inspiring his function, upon the organism and
personality and career. As mentioned conversely the organism acts,
earlier Geddes had a lifelong contempt through function, upon the
for examinations and never took a environment. (Cities in Evolution,
university degree. After a period of 1915)
private study, he chose to study Botany
at the University of Edinburgh (1874), In human terms this can be
but left after one week. He then went understood as a place acting through
on to study Botany and Zoology with climatic and geographic processes
individual teachers and mentors in upon people and thus shaping them.
London and Paris. In London, he At the same time people act, through
trained at the Royal College of Mines,
economic processes such as farming
under the great biologist and
and construction, on a place and thus
evolutionist of the time, Thomas
shape it. Thus both place and folk are
Huxley, whose influence on Geddes is
linked and through work are in
said to have been profound . Being a
constant transition.
student of Huxley opened doors for
him to study in France, and he
subsequently trained at the Sorbonne
Geddes and the valley
University . From then on and for the
rest of his life, he was an ardent
section
Francophile, enjoying an empathy with
Geddes first published his idea
France and French intellectual ideas
of the valley section in 1909 to
which greatly influenced his thinking.
illustrate his idea of the 'region-
It was during this time that Geddes
came into contact with some of city'.

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The region is expressed in the Such theory is most

city and the city spreads prominently used because
influence of the highest level planning cities in a particular
into the region. shape pattern is not possible in
To put it another way, Geddes Todays times.
said that "it takes a whole
region to make the city. Geddes and the
The valley section illustrated Conurbation Theory
the application of Geddes's
trilogy of 'folk/work/place' to The term "conurbation" was
analysis of the region. coined in 1915 by Patrick
The valley section is a complex Geddes in his book Cities In
model, which combines Evolution.
physical condition- geology Internationally, the term
and geomorphology and their "urban agglomeration" is often
biological associations - with used to convey a similar
so-called natural or basic meaning to "conurbation".
occupations such as miner, Conurbation -waves of
hunter, shepherd or fisher, and population inflow to large
with the human settlements that cities, followed by
arise from them. overcrowding and slum
formation, and then the wave
Geddes and the of backflow the whole
constellation concept process resulting in
amorphous sprawl, waste,
This CONSTELLATION and unnecessary
THEORY was also coined by obsolescence.
Sir Patrick Geddes , 4 or more
cities, which are not A conurbation is a region comprising
economically, politically, a number of cities, large towns, and
socially equal come together in other urban areas that, through
developing a whole region population growth and physical
This theory is mostly used for expansion, have merged to form one
administrative purpose in all continuous urban and industrially
countries worldwide. developed area.

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LEARNING BY DOING Geddes, P. (1920). The Life and Work

of Sir Jagadis C. Bose: An Indian
Pioneer of Science: with Portrait and
Patrick Geddes believed that education Illustrations. Asian Educational
was a catalyst for social change and Services.
active citizenship. He explored the
ways in which people learn more Geddes, S. P. (1979). Civics: as
effectively. He developed an applied sociology (pp. 75-97).
Leicester: Leicester University Press.
educational philosophy which
emphasized the combination of hand,
heart and head, in that order of
priority.

He believed learning should engage the

emotions, and include physical
activity. This included learning by
doing, as well as more traditional
methods of learning from books and
lectures. Geddes also promoted an
interdisciplinary approach to learning,
highlighting the useful connections and
synergies between different subject
areas and disciplines.

REFERENCE:

Geddes, P. (1949). Cities in evolution

(Vol. 27, pp. 109-123). London:
Williams & Norgate.

Geddes, S. P. (1915). Cities in

evolution: An introduction to the town
planning movement and to the study of
civics. London: Williams & Norgate.

Mumford, L., Geddes, P., & Novak, F.

G. (1995). Lewis Mumford and Patrick
Geddes: The Correspondence.
Psychology Press.

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