Porfyriou, H; (1990) Scandinavian town planning from 1900 to 1930 and the contribution of Camillo Sitte. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Following the recent planning debate there has been a tendency to re¬evaluate the tradition of European town planning. In this context a historical study of the Scandinavian planning experience between 1900¬1930 is not only timely but can also reveal a number of ideologies surrounding the "city versus suburb" debate of our century. The first part of the study touches on two areas which contributed to the emergence of Sittesque Scandinavian planning, namely (a) the economic, political and cultural history of Scandinavia in the 19th century, and (b) European town planning models around the late 19th century. Section (a) focuses on the passage from an agrarian to an industrial economy in Scandinavia and outlines the new political role played by industrial capital and the attendant reevaluation of traditional ideas. It also discusses the importance played by "nationals' sentiment in the formulation of the cultural attitudes of each of the Scandinavian countries. Section (b) presents the gridiron and German scientific planning models, contrasting them with Sitte's theory of artistic city building. Particular attention is paid to identifying the primary categories of physical design of Sitte's model, as well as, the economic and ideological presuppositions on which it was founded and became operative in Scandinavia. The second part of the thesis comprises the central body of the rcomrch. It deals with documentation of planning activity between 1900 and 1930 in the major Scandinavian urban centres. This entails data collection on realised projects, competition entries, planning and building legislation urban housing policies, etc. The discussion that follows reveals the ideological and politico-economic reasons which allowed the Sittesque model to flotrish in Scandinavia between 1900-1930.

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