Edgar Chambless

Roadtown (eBook, PDF)

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

This is another utopian novella thing but its an amazing idea. Imagine a city laid out in a single long line, connected with underground rail. The author lays out this plan which seems really do-able. Transportation, distribution, and the middle-man,—what a waste of time, energy, economy and common sense are involved in our present handling of these elements? The domestic servant problem,—how sorry and slipshod a solution of it are the hotel and boarding house of to-day? The elimination of the open country from our children’s training and from our own opportunities for peace and sanity,—what a paltry and impotent substitute for it is the hybrid suburb? Personal independence, social harmony, full value for work done, adequate leisure after toil,—does not this sound like the Millennium? Read Mr. Chambless, O ye captives of Civilization, and burst your shackles!

Produktdetails

• Verlag: iOnlineShopping.com
• Erscheinungstermin: 26. Februar 2019
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9788832540260
• Artikelnr.: 55477125

Autorenporträt

Edgar Chambless (1870-1936) is remembered chiefly for his utopian urban planning scheme set forth in his singular work, 'Roadtown', first published in 1910. Highly innovative for his time, Chambless envisioned Roadtown as a linear city stretching from coast to coast, promoting efficiency through its unique design that combined residential and commercial spaces with transportation. A proponent of Progressive Era ideals, Chambless crafted Roadtown with a vision of not merely reshaping the physical architecture of cities but also elevating the quality of life for its inhabitants. His architectural philosophy reflected the zeitgeist of early 20th-century American societal optimism, where technological advancement was seen as a means to address social inequalities and inefficiencies. Chambless stood out for his detailed attention to the particulars of everyday life and the ways in which urban design could enhance it. 'Roadtown' stands as a testament to an era of ambitious urban planning that sought holistic solutions to the pressing problems of industrialization and urban sprawl, and although it was not implemented, it contributed to the discourse on urban planning and socioeconomic reform. Edgar Chambless's work percolates through the undercurrent of urban planning literature and remains a unique reference point for scholars interested in the history of American urbanism and utopian thought.