TRANSPORTATION

NETWORKING

Suman Mishra
M Sc. In Civil Engineering ( Transportation Engineering)
University of Calgary, Canada
Relevant Theories on New Urban
Area development
Theories
• Garden City Theory
• Satellite City Theory
• Organic Decentralization Theory
• Theory of Urban Agglomeration Economics
• Urban-Rural Integration Theory
Garden City Theory
Garden City Theory
• Ebenezer Howard (England) developed the Garden City Theory at
the end of the nineteenth century.
• Itsignificantly influenced new urban area construction and overall
city planning of many countries in the world for more than 100
years.
• In
Tomorrow: a Peaceful Path towards Real Reform (1898), Howard
holds that people should build an ideal city with all the rural and
urban advantages, which he calls the garden city.
• Virtually, the garden city is a combination of city and country.
Garden City Theory
• Its
size shouldn’t be larger than what was enough to sustain a rich
social life.
• It should be surrounded by a permanent belt of agricultural land.
• The land of the city was to be owned by the public and entrusted to
a committee.
• The garden city Howard has conceived includes two parts—the city
and the country.
• The residents of the garden city live there and work there.
Garden City Theory
• Garden city, the ideal of a planned residential community
,Howard’s plan for garden cities was a response to the need for
improvement in the quality of urban life, which had become
marred by overcrowding and congestion due to uncontrolled
growth since the Industrial Revolution.
• Howard’s solution to the related problems of rural depopulation
and the runaway growth of great towns and cities was the creation
of a series of small, planned cities that would combine the
amenities of urban life with the ready access to nature typical of
rural environments. Following is the diagram suggesting garden
city concept known as the three magnet diagram.
The Original Concept of Garden
City by Ebenezer Howard, 1902
 The Three Magnets

Garden city movement had

The Three Magnets to addresses the
question ‘Where will the people go?’
the choices being ‘Town’,
‘Country’ or ‘Town Country’.
Town
Country
Town- Country
Town- Country
– it was a combination of both town and countryside with aim of
providing benefits of both and offered beauty of nature, social
opportunity, fields if easy access, low rent, high wages and field of
enterprise.
Thus, the solution was found in a combination of the advantages of
Town and Country – the ‘Town – Country Magnet’ – it was proposed
a Town in the Country, and having within it the amenities of
natural beauty, fresh air and healthfulness. Thus advantages of the
Town – Country are seed to be free from the disadvantages of either.
Town- Country
Features of Howard’s scheme
The main features of Howard’s scheme were:
(1) the purchase of a large area of agricultural land within a ring
fence
(2) the planning of a compact town surrounded by a wide rural belt
(3) the accommodation of residents, industry, and agriculture within
the town
(4) the limitation of the extent of the town and prevention of
encroachment upon the rural belt
(5) the natural rise in land values to be used for the town’s own
general welfare.
Garden City
Garden City
Assumed data
• A total of 6000 acre estate
•1000 acres, purely for the central garden city as a home for 30000
people.
•Surrounding the central city 5000 Acres of land is retained for
agriculture and home for 2000 people, with cow pastures, farmlands,
and welfare services.
• It
would be privately owned by a small group of individuals; this
company, in retaining ownership, Only a fraction of the tract’s land
would be built upon by the town’s 30,000 inhabitants; the rest
would be used for agricultural and recreational purposes.
 Garden City- Conceptual Layout

Circular city growing in a radial

manner or pattern.

Divided into six equal wards,

by six main Boulevards that
radiated from the central
park/garden.
Garden City- Conceptual Layout

Civic institutions
(Town Hall, Library,
Hospital, Theatre,
Museum etc. ) are placed
around the central garden.

The central park enclosed

by a crystal palace acts
as an arcade for indoor
shops and winter gardens.
 Garden City- Conceptual Layout
The streets for houses are
formed by a series of
concentric ringed tree
lined avenues.

Distance between each ring

vary between 3-5km.
 Garden City- Conceptual Layout

A 420 feet wide , 3 mile long,

Grand avenue which run
in the center of concentric
rings , houses the schools and
churches and acts as a
continuous public park.

All the industries, factories and

warehouses were placed at the
peripheral ring of the city.
 Garden City- Conceptual Layout

The municipal railway was

placed in another ring closer
to the industrial ring , so that
the pressure of excess
transport on the city streets
are reduced and the city is
connected to the rest of
the nation.
Garden City- Datas
Central City:
Area: 12000 acres.
Population : 58000 people

Agglomeration Cities:
Area: 6000 acres
Population: 32000 people

Distance between central

main city and the
agglomeration: ~10km
Garden City- Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth, officially Letchworth Garden City, is a town in
Hertfordshire, England, with a population of 33,600
It was designed by Raymond Unwin and Barry Parker
Letch worth – 35 miles from London
Analysis
Land of 3822 acres
Reserved Green belt- 1300 acres
Designed for a maximum of 35000 population
In 30 years – developed with 15000 population & 150 shops,
industries.
Garden City- Letchworth
Garden City- Welwyn
Welwyn
Welwyn Garden City is a town within the Borough of Welwyn Hatfield in
Hertfordshire, England.
It is located approximately 19 miles from Kings Cross and 24 miles from
London.
On 29 April 1920 a company, Welwyn Garden City Limited, was formed
to plan and build the garden city, chaired by Sir Theodore Chambers.
Louis de Soissons was appointed as architect and town planner and
Frederic Osborn as secretary.
An Analysis
Land of 2378 acres
Designed for a maximum of 40000 population
In 15 years – developed with 10000 population & 50 shops, industries
Garden City- Welwyn
Failure of Garden cities
• Letchworthslowly attracted more residents because it was able to
attract manufacturers through low taxes, low rents and more
space.
• DespiteHoward’s best efforts, the home prices in this garden city
could not remain affordable for workers to live in.
• Although many viewed Letchworth as a success, it did not
immediately inspire government investment into the next line of
garden cities.
Failure of Garden cities
• In
frustration, Howard bought land at Welwyn to house the second
garden city in 1919.
• TheWelwyn Garden City Corporation was formed to oversee the
construction.
• ButWelwyn did not become self-sustaining because it was only 20
miles from London.
• Even until the end of the 1930s, Letchworth and Welwyn remained
as the only existing garden cities.
Summary
• Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City concept shows us a place where
genuine urban activities are carried at human scale.
•The garden city introduced the use of greenbelts that have served
many uses including the preservation of agricultural and rural life,
nature and heritage conservation, recreation, pollution
minimization, and growth management.
•Garden city tradition endowed urban planning with a social and
community dimensions.
•The garden city idea showed how both industrial estates and
collective retailing spaces could be used within a comprehensive
planning approach to serve public purposes.
Satellite City Theory
Satellite City Theory

• The idea of Satellite City originated in England.

• Taylor from America who formally presented and used this
concept.
– Satellite city refers to towns built outside big cities.
– They not only supply job opportunities but also offer perfect
residence and public facilities.
• They are called “satellite towns” because they surround the central
city, resembling satellites.
Satellite City Theory
Satellite City Theory

• Satellite City Theory originated from Garden City Theory.

– Howard believed that around the central city there should be
some smaller towns, which resemble satellites around a
planet.
– According to Howard, when the second garden city, Welwyn
Garden City, was planned, he had called it a “satellite town”.
Satellite City- Purpose
• The major purpose of building satellite towns is to
– control overpopulation of big cities,
– disperse some industry and population, and
– offset population attractiveness of the big cities towards the
surrounding area
• Despite a little independence, satellite towns thrive by keeping a
certain distance from the central city, but still remain closely
related with each other in terms of administration, economy,
culture, and life.
Satellite City- Purpose- London
• During
1920s for London by R. Unwin, suggested that population
and employment be evacuated to nearby satellite towns.
• Around 1930s, London County Council used the term “quasi-
sovereign satellite city”, which referred to a residential area or
quarters town.
• According to the Greater London Plan initiated and composed by
Patrick Abercrombie in 1944, eight towns were to be built in Outer
London so as to evacuate the excess population; they were called
satellite towns first and new towns later.
Satellite Town Generation
1.The first generation satellite towns are dormitory (quarters) towns:
people live there but travel to work in the main city.
2.The second generation satellite towns have some factories and
public facilities where people can work close to home.
3.The third generation satellite towns, almost independent of the
main city, supply employment opportunities and the center is
modern too.
4.The fourth generation satellite towns nowadays have a multi-
centered and open city structure, in which the satellite city and the
main city are connected by highspeed traffic lines so that the
function of the main city can be extended to the satellite cities.
Satellite City- Evaluation
• The satellite city is an inevitable product of modern city
development.
• Bysharing some functions of the central city, it is an extension of
urban function.
• On the one hand, satellite towns are closely related to the central
city; on the other hand, they are relatively independent.
• At the international conference held in Amsterdam in 1924 it was
listed as one way to restrict the vicious expansion of big cities.
• Itis generally considered that satellite towns can block the free
population influx into big cities to some degree although it is
relatively inefficient to evacuate the overcrowded urban
population.
 Organic
Decentralization
Theory
Organic Decentralization Theory

• Developed by Eliel Saarinen (Finish town planner)

• It
concerns with urban development and spatial layout structure
developed to cope with the various problems brought about by
over-expansion of the big cities.
• Accordingto this theory, Cities disintegrate step by step: new
towns do not abruptly separate from the central city but move
away organically.
Organic Decentralization Theory-
Concept
• The knowledge about living organisms and the human body is
applied to research about cities
• He believes that a city, having the same inner sequence as the
living organisms, is also an organism.
• A city is also made up of many cells with certain gaps in between.
• A living organism grows up by constant cell reproduction and each
cell expands towards space nearby.
• Such space is reserved for cell reproduction in advance and thus
can make the growth of the organism more flexible and less
dangerous.
Organic Decentralization Theory
To control the decay of modern cities and promote urban
development, three goals should be achieved.
1. First, transfer all kinds of activities of the run-down area to
suitable places according to a proposed plan.
2. Second, renovate the above-mentioned emptied area and
convert it for other most suitable purposes.
3. Third, protect the value in use of both the old and the new.
Organic Decentralization Theory
• Therefore, organic decentralization is to divide the crowded areas
of the big city into a couple of centralized units and then organize
them into “correlated and functional concentrated points in
activities”.
• In this way, the originally dense urban area breaks up into individual
towns separated by greenbelts.
Organic Decentralization Theory
• OrganicDecentralization Theory holds that some public and urban
administrative department must be deployed at the center of the
city.
• Bothheavy and light industries should be evacuated out of the
urban center.
• Because of the evacuation, a lot of empty land of large acre in the
city center should be used to increase green land and supply
housing for those who have to work at the central area of the city,
such as technicians, administrators, and dealers, so that they can
enjoy family life nearby.
Organic Decentralization Theory
• According to Organic Decentralization Theory, areas for personal
daily life and work or “routine activities” as called by Saarinen
should be aggregated.
– Daily activities are taken on a certain domain as much as
possible, the amount of traffic is reduced to a minimum, and
mechanized vehicles are not always necessary.
– In daily life, people should travel on foot and make full use of
modern transportation.
Organic Decentralization Theory
• Areas for infrequent “occasional activities” (for example,
competitions and performances), not needing to be restricted to a
certain site, should be dispersed.
– Commuting to areas for occasional activities is no problem
even if the journey is a little long, because in the green land
beyond the domain of routine activities are major traffic
roads, on which people can travel back and forth at high
speed.
• In 1915, Saarinen and Bethel Jung, entrusted by a private
developer, made an expansion plan of 170,000 people for a Finnish
Helsinki New Town Munkkiniemi-Haaga, also known as the
“Greater Helsinki” plan.
– Greater London Plan and Grand Paris Plan are considered to be the
most famous examples.
Greater London Plan
• Greater London Plan, completed in 1945, made an overall
arrangement of spatial order for the metropolitan region around
inner London.
• To attain the goal of evacuation, over ten new towns were to be
built to receive the overspill population of London and help the
postwar reconstruction by relieving the pressure of the city.
• Later, although the government changed several times, the
planning was carried out all the same, and a series of new towns
were built.
Greater London Plan- 1944
Theory of Urban
Agglomeration
Economics
Theory of Urban Agglomeration
Economics- Introduction
• Agglomerate economy refers to “all kinds of benefits brought
about by clustering of economic activities (not limited to a single
industry) in space.”
• It is a kind of systematic force to improve efficiency and reduce cost
through economies of scale and scope.
• When multiple industries flock
towards the city, agglomerate
economy appears.
Theory of Urban Agglomeration
Economics- Introduction
• In 1909, the German economist Alfred Weber published his
masterpiece “Industrial Location Theory”, in which he first
mentioned that analysis and research of economic agglomeration’s
role should be strengthened.
• He defined agglomerate economy as benefit or economy gained
from production or sale because of the production being carried
out at the same place according to a certain scale.
Theory of Urban Agglomeration
Economics- Characteristics
• At the early stage of agglomeration, agglomerate economy that
attracts the flow of population, commodities, and information as:
– agglomerate economy shows obvious effects
– diseconomies of agglomeration are very weak
• When it reaches a certain scale, a city is formed.
• Then the city expands its size more quickly.
Theory of Urban Agglomeration
Economics- Characteristics
New Agglomeration at Suburbs
• When the scale develops to a certain degree, the gradually robust
diseconomies of agglomeration constantly weaken the role of
agglomerate economy.
– At this time, the inputs of marginal utility decrease progressively,
and even intensify the process of agglomeration towards
decentralization.
–For example, increasing price of urban land, congestion cost,
serious destruction of ecological environment, etc.
• As
a result, some of the urban enterprises and residents gradually
move away and usually form a new agglomeration at the suburbs
 New Agglomeration at Suburbs

Formation of new agglomerate

centers is a result of evolution
and adjustment of urban spatial
structure.
 Urban- Rural
Integration theory
Urban- Rural Integration theory-
Introduction
• As early as 1847 Engels had raised the concept of “urban and rural
integration” in The Principles of Communism.
• However, in city developmental, Ebenezer Howard first put
forward such an idea.
• Howard’s idea in city development
• “Replace the old social structure of urban-rural division with the new
social structure of urban-rural integration”.
• “City and country have their own advantages and corresponding
disadvantages although urban-rural integration can avoid the
disadvantages of both.”
• “City and country must get married, and the happy combination ignite
new hope, new life, and new civilization.”
Urban- Rural Integration theory-
Introduction
• Arthur Lewis, an American scholar, is the first development
economist who studied the influence of dual structure on economic
development.
• In Economic Development with Unlimited Supplies of Labor (1954),
he points out that developing countries usually have two totally
different economic sectors: modern industrial sector and
traditional agricultural sector.
• The central center of economic development is the structural
transformation from traditional agriculture to modern industry.
• It is neither rural nor urban but both rural and urban.
Urban- Rural Integration theory-
Introduction
• Urban and Rural Integration Theory, as a goal concept for regional
development, is becoming more and more widely accepted.
• It maintains that urban-rural integration, as an ideal development
goal, gradually comes true in the long-term process of continuous
optimization of regional social economy.
• This is a two-way process.
• This positive two-way evolution can take place between the city
and the country and between the city and the region by absorbing
advanced and healthy elements and discharging backward and
undesirable elements of either.
Concept of “Desakota”
• McGee, a famous Canadian scholar, raised the concept of
“desakota” (desa means “village”, and kota means “city”), which is
used to describe the result of the dual action the city and the
country have taken at the same place and time.
• Moreover, “with the emergence of desakota, metropolitan areas in
the real sense come into being and rural-urban continuum become
more urbanized at all levels.”
• That is to say, urbanization based on regional integrated
development, in essence, is coordinated and integrated
development between urban areas and rural areas.
Needs for Urban-Rural Integration
• Urban and rural integration needs overall regional effort:
– on the one hand, reinforce the construction of the boundary
network system between the city and the country and guide
reasonable layout of regional space;
– on the other hand, rely on improving urban function and enhancing
urban radiation, removing the obstacles of system and mechanism
and encouraging the city to support the country.
Needs for Urban-Rural Integration
Model Questions
1. State the important characteristics of gravity model.
2. Explain the organic decentralization theory and satellite city
theory for the development of cities.
3. How does the agglomeration economics influence the
development pattern of cities?
Assignments
1. Kathmandu is getting overcrowded day by day and expanding
very rapidly. How can we make it a better place to live by
controlling the urban sprawl as well as population inflow. Which
theory do you think is more applicable in the context of
developing Kathmandu and its suburbs? Explain with relevant
points.
Thank You!!