Modernism

The field of planning is constantly changing and when developing plans we must not only look at what is relevant within the current context but what will continue to work in harmony with the future social, environmental and economic needs as society continues to develop and change. The enormous flood of people seeking city life constantly challenges planners in cities around the world. With rapid changes in economies, technology and culture within cities the profession of planning has become increasingly important in making these seemingly chaotic places functional.

I found a definite parallel between one concepts of movement to the next. An example of this is The Parks movement shifting towards the Garden City movement and then to the City Beautiful movement. Elements of the Parks City movement can be seen in the City Beautiful movement. The point is that it is much easier to start off with an idea than to build from no idea at all. Once an idea is formed or a plan is established, this gives some sort of foundation to build and rebuild. We can see this follow-on effect over the movements and is still true today. 

From the effects of the industrial revolution and the depression came the Parks Movement, which was one of the first responses to social displacement of industrial urbanism. In conjunction with this I found the Garden City Ideal to be very interesting, the idea to improve health through a plan, which proposed to eliminate congestion (caused by the industrial revolution and depression) and keep the open countryside at hand.

As modernism continues the concepts of the last centuries become outdated and unsustainable. What will the new concepts created in response to sustainable growth, climate change and congested cities be? Also have the concepts of the past made it harder to develop compact cities?