Ralph Tubbs

During, and immediately after, the Second World War, there was a spate of books about city planning that swept England; there was even a cartoon produced by the Ministry of Information, circa 1948, on the subject. This is one of the more slender offerings, but it still has much to offer, in that it gives you a keen and early insight as to what the thinking was. It's mainly an illustrated pamphlet, but there are some very attractive drawings specifying how cities of the post-war era would be laid out. Quite a lot of assumptions made, and many of them didn't pan out.… (altro)

This is a wonderful book produced in 1940, as the Luftwaffe was destroying English cities left, right and centre. Ralph Tubbs postulates upon the value of planned cities. The book exudes the optimism that would spring to life after WWII. Tubbs is convinced that the planner should be king. The problem is, of course, that it only works if the planner is in tune with the people. Le Corbusier believed that 'cities in the sky' were the answer - those unfortunate enough to try the experience begged to differ.

This book does give a good background to the growth of the city from villages and towns. A rewarding read.… (altro)