In his 1912 pamphlet for the Garden Cities and Town Planning Association Nothing Gained by Overcrowding; Raymond Unwin set out in detail the lessons learnt from his formidable practical experience in the design and layout of housing: at New Earswick from 1902; Letchworth Garden City from 1905; and most significantly at Hampstead Garden Suburb; where the lsquo;artisansrsquo; quarterrsquo; 1907-9 was probably his masterwork of spatial design. His interest in minimising the length of paved road to number of houses served; and lsquo;greeningrsquo; the ubiquitous mechanistic bye-law suburb of the late 19th century provided motivation for defining a general theory of design; which under pinned Garden City principles. Nothing Gained by Overcrowding emerged as a principle which was to have a revolutionary impact on housing and urban form over the next 50 years.Unwins theory had developed with his work; but the origins can be found in two earlier and less well known publications. On the building of houses in the Garden Cityrsquo; was written for the first international conference of the Garden City Association; held in September 1901. The following year he published the Fabian Society Tract Cottage Plans and Common Sense; in which he took first principles; lsquo;shelter; comfort; privacyrsquo;; and drew out general criteria and specific standards. Housing had to be freed from the bye-law strait jacket. This would sweep away lsquo;back yards; back alleys and abominations hellip; too long screened by that wretched prefix backrsquo;.Republished here for the first time together; with an introductory essay by Dr Mervyn Miller; these three papers make clear the development of Raymond Unwins theories of planning and housing; theories which were among the most influential of the 20th Century.
2013-09-13 2013-09-13File Name: B00FDR43K8
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Singing The Praises Of The UnsungBy Thomas J. FrielingFirst of all; I admit that I greatly admire these Arcadia Press series that highlight places and local histories that otherwise might get by-passed by "serious" historians. This title covering a huge industrial facility--a factory--is a perfect example.The uninitiated reader may ask--why a book about a factory? Well; Michoud (built on the site of a former sugar plantation on the outskirts of New Orleans) is not just any factory and not just because of its huge size. Its role supporting the war effort during World War II and the Korean War to NASAs Saturn/Apollo and Shuttle programs and on through supporting todays NASAs Space Launch System and Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle have assured Michoud a place in history.The author; Cindy Donze Manto; does a good job detailing the factorys storied past. That she has a personal connection to the facility (her husband worked there) adds a personal touch to her narrative--several photos are from her husbands personal collectionWhile there are some lapses such as some mis-identifications of several Saturn stages (the nomenclature of which is admittedly confusing) as well as a couple of photos used twice--once on adjoining pages-- overall Manto does a good job telling Michouds story with this fascinating collection of archival photos. Space geeks may wish the photos and captions had been run by a knowledgeable fact-checker though who could have fixed the errors. For instance; the photo on page 50 of "three [unidentified] men touring the Michoud facility" is clearly the crew of Apollo 7--Wally Schirra; Donn Eisele and Walter Cunningham--pictured at Michoud inspecting the Saturn 1B first stage being manufactured there that would launch them on the first manned Apollo mission the year after the photo was taken.Perhaps such lapses can be forgiven when one turns to page 39 to see pictured an early 1960s photo of NASA engineers surrounding a model of an early configuration of the Saturn V first stage sporting only four F-1 engines. This is a model of the Saturn C-4 configuration; a Saturn V version that was considered before the fifth (the center) F-1 engine was added in late 1961. Its a rare photo indeed--I dont believe Ive ever seen it before--and it alone is worth the price of the book; at least for students of the Saturn launch vehicles..You dont have to be from Louisiana or even a fan of the space program to appreciate this evocative history of the Michoud Assembly Facility. Like the other Arcadia Press books in this Images of America Series this new addition captures for the general public a slice of American history that otherwise might have gone unsung.tfrielin@uga.edu0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good Review of the Saturn ProgramBy Agency ManAm familiar with this series of books with "localized" subjects; etc. So when I saw this I was especially intrigued having worked at the Michoud plant on the Saturn rocket program for the Boeing Company in the early-mid 60s. It brought back lots of memories and if filled lots of factual infomation blanks for me as well. There were a couple of errors about the process etc.; but nothing too far from the subject to worry about or find fault with. When building something that complex with as many parts as it contained I cant imagine anyone getting it all right.Very informative on the roots of our manned space efforts.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Nice KeepsakeBy Karen AnnI bought this book for my husband. He worked at this facility on the external tank years ago. The book is small for the price and is in black and white. He said to rate it four stars. He liked it. Its pretty thorough and a nice keepsake.