Exhibitions and the Development of Modern Planning Culture

The evolution of city planning theory and practice in the first half of the twentieth century was captured and driven by a range of exhibitionary practices in a variety of settings globally, from international expos to local public halls. The agendas of the promoters varied, but exhibitions generally drew their social legitimacy from their status as 'appropriate educative agencies of citizenship'. Bringing together a range of international case studies, this volume explores the highly visual genre of public planning exhibitions worldwide. In doing so, it provides a unique lens on the development of modern urban planning and design from the late 19th century to the present day. Focussing mainly on the first half of the 20th century, it looks in particular at historic exhibitions which sought to transform urban society's understanding of the possibilities of planning as a force for social betterment. The visuality of presentation, contemporary reactions, and outcomes for the planning profession and the community are explored to make for a unique, innovative and attractive approach to the history of planning ideas. The five major themes are the visual representation of ideas and ideologies; institutions and individuals involved; the broader context of display; and the impacts and implications for the development planning culture. With contributors including Karl Fischer, John Gold, Carola Hein, Peter Larkham, Javier Monclus, and Mark Tewdwr-Jones, the dominant intellectual paradigm further unifying the collection is planning history.

Robert Freestone is Professor Planning and Associate Dean of Research at UNSW, Australia. Dr Marco Amati is Senior Lecturer in Planning at La Trobe University, Australia.

List of Figures, List of Tables, List of Contributors, 1 Town Planning Exhibitions, 2 Imagining the Future of Cities through Exhibitions 1851-1914, 3 The Science and Art of City Making: The Model Street at the 1904 World's Fair, 4 Latin American Reverberations from the Universal City Planning Exhibitions of 1910, 5 The 1919 New Zealand Town Planning Conference and Exhibition: A Public Declaration for Town Planning, 6 New Architecture and the Search for Modernity: Exhibiting the Planned City in 1930s Britain, 7 The 1938 Johannesburg 'Town Planning Exhibition and Congress': Testament, Monument and Indictment, 8 Promoting the New City: Ludwig Hilberseimer at the Art Institute of Chicago, 1944, 9 Exhibiting Planning in Wartime Britain, 10 Engagement and Exhibitionism in the Era of High Modernism: Otto Neurath and the Example of 1940s Bilston, 11 From Town Hall to Cinema: Documentary Film as Planning Propaganda in Post-war Britain, 12 A Model for the Nation: Exhibiting Post-war Reconstruction at the Festival of Britain 1951, 13 Visualizing the Core of an Ideal Democratic Community: Jaqueline Tyrwhitt and Post-war Planning Exhibitions, 14 Post-war Reconstruction, Planning Promotion and the Australian Government 1944-45, 15 International Exhibitions and Urban Design Paradigms, 16 The New York Museum of Modern Art: Engagement in Housing, Planning, and Neighbourhood Design