What is Planning? Safety First
by Carolyn Ristau
Continuing our dive into the profession and practice of planning, this post briefly explores the early influences of safety on plans and philosophies for the layout of cities. Safety has been and continues to be one of the drivers and justifications for planning. For example, the purpose of zoning ordinances usually encompasses the core concepts of “safety,” “health,” and “general welfare.” These core concepts are usually combined with others, most frequently “morals” and often “convenience” and “prosperity,” but it is rare to find a purpose without all three of the core phrases.
Aristotle believed that cities should have a chaotic layout to slow down and deter potential invaders. He believed a grid-based town would enable invaders to march right in and take over. By the 17th century, the threat of invaders from without the city began to be overtaken by the threat of fire from within the city.
London is an example of a city that was laid out in a chaotic pattern that Aristotle would likely have approved. However, in 1666, the Great Fire of London destroyed 13,200 homes displacing 7 out of 8 residents and 87 churches which was 80% of all churches in the city at that time. Several people proposed new plans to rebuild London. Draughtsman Richard Newcourt proposed a grid pattern featuring church squares, which ended up influencing William Penn’s plan for Philadelphia implemented in the 1680s. However, King Charles II favored Christopher Wren’s plan for wide boulevards. Despite the King’s six-member commission for rebuilding the city, which included Wren, that approach was not the desire of the community, and the property owners rebuilt their properties on much the same lines as before the fire, though a little less congested and with fewer flammable materials. Wren did leave his mark on London through overseeing the design and construction of the 52 churches that were rebuilt, including St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Source & Inspiration:
Episode 6: “So It Begins” from the Very Unofficial AICP Study Guide podcast
How London might have looked: five masterplans after the great fire of 1666, Adam Forrest, The Guardian, January 25, 2016. (accessed April 15, 2023)
Christopher Wren, John Summerson, Britannica, February 21, 2023. (accessed April 15, 2023)
