Quick answer: the Garden City concept was proposed by Sir Ebenezer Howard in 1898. It rests on the Three Magnets theory: combine the advantages of town and country to form a third, better place, with controlled population, a green belt and balanced land use. The first garden city was Letchworth.
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Why the Garden City concept was proposed
Cities in the late 1800s were congested, unhygienic and polluted, with poor living conditions even when the standard of living was high. Howard proposed a different settlement form to fix these urban problems.
The Three Magnets theory
| Magnet | Plus points |
|---|---|
| Town | Jobs and opportunities, higher standard of living, education and health facilities |
| Country | Community bonding, clean environment, nature and agriculture |
| Town-Country (the third magnet) | The Garden City, which combines the plus points of both |
Here "country" means countryside, not the nation. Town and Country Planning is the combination of rural and urban planning.
Layout of the Garden City (social city)
- A central city with a maximum population of about 58,000.
- Six satellite garden cities around it, each limited to about 32,000 people (about 3.5 lakh people in the whole cluster, as stated by the faculty in the lecture).
- Linked by high-speed electric rail transit, so people can live in the outer cities and commute to the centre for higher-level facilities.
- Higher-level amenities and utilities in the central city, while each garden city is a self-contained community with its own schools and daily facilities.
- Green belt with agriculture and open land around and between the cities.
- Balanced land use: residential, industry, agriculture and open space; industries are on the outskirts.
The planning idea behind it is that you cannot stop people moving to a successful city, but you can shift jobs and facilities to a second location. Once the benefits move, people follow.
Objectives of the Garden City
- Solve urban and rural problems together
- Reduce overcrowding
- Create a healthy, pleasant environment
- Balance residential, industrial and agricultural land
- Control urban growth through the green belt
Book and examples to remember
- Book: Garden Cities of Tomorrow was written by Ebenezer Howard. Its summary is credited to Lewis Mumford, so exam options can mix the two. Read the question carefully: author of the book, or author of the summary.
- Garden City Association was formed, and two cities near London followed: Letchworth (the first) and Welwyn Garden City.
- Application in India: New Delhi, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens with Herbert Baker, shows garden city ideas through its landscape, green spaces, plantation and low-density development, and visual corridors to important buildings.
Disadvantage of the Garden City concept
Restricting population and providing green space pushes land values up, so only the higher income group can afford to live there. That defeats the aim of balanced development, and with rapid growth today it is hard to sustain.
Practice MCQs
- Who proposed the Garden City concept? Sir Ebenezer Howard.
- Which was the first garden city? Letchworth.
- In the Garden City concept, where are industries located? On the outskirts.
- Which theory underlies the Garden City concept? The Three Magnets theory.
- Who wrote the summary of Garden Cities of Tomorrow? Lewis Mumford.
- What was the purpose of the Garden City? Health, environment and economy: solving urban congestion while keeping the benefits of town and country.
Past-paper MCQs on this topic repeat, so solve them from the free PYQ papers straight after you finish the topic.
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FAQs
Who proposed the Garden City concept?
Sir Ebenezer Howard, a British urban planner, in 1898.
What is the Three Magnets theory?
It says town and country each have attractions. Combining the plus points of both gives a third magnet, the Garden City.
What are the first garden cities?
Letchworth was the first, followed by Welwyn Garden City, both near London.
What is the main disadvantage of the Garden City concept?
Limiting population and providing open space raises land values, so only higher income groups can afford to live there.
