Patrick Geddes
1854-1932

Patrick Geddes was born on October 2, 1854 at Ballater in West Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Geddes moved with his parents to Perth in 1857, where they inhabited Mount Tabor Cottage.

At the age of seventeen, Geddes enrolled at the University of Edinburgh. but left after one week to attend the London School of Mines and study under the tutelage of the great natural scientist, T.H. Huxley. A couple of years later, Geddes traveled to Paris to study. In 1879 Geddes first encountered the social theories of Frederic Le Play. The works of Le Play greatly influenced Geddes as he became aware of the effect of environmental and geographical factors on the existing social structures.

The French influenced Geddes in many other ways. He learned about the geographical concept of regionalism, a concept which would lie at the core of his urban studies. Geddes was impressed by Comte's evolutionary development of science which placed the social sciences above mathematics and logic, physics and chemistry, and biology.

Geddes' busy mind developed three-dimensional "thinking machines," which synthesized knowledge from geography, economics, and anthropology. These thinking machines attempted to show the inter-relatedness of different arenas of the social sciences. Geddes was also interested in civics, which studied the relation of individuals and the environment. He believed in the earth as a cooperative planet where people should be taught how to properly treat their environment. Specifically, Geddes' web of life aimed to: 1) educate children; 2) improve the physical quality of people by using new biological knowledge to produce better medicine; and 3) understand the human influence on ecology. These ideas led to his notion of Eutopia, a Utopia which was realizable here and now.

After an episode of severe illness in November, 1879, when Geddes became temporarily blind, Geddes returned to Scotland and his fundamental love of botany. He became a demonstrator of botany and a lecturer on zoology. In May, 1885, Geddes fell in love with Anna Morton and married her eleven months later. His new bride seemed to rejuvenate and give him a renewed sense of direction.

The University College at Dundee offered Geddes a chair as Professor of Botany in 1888. A year later, Geddes co-wrote The Evolution of Sex with his friend, J. Arthur Thompson. His book is still of great interest because of the section which discusses the origin of being male or female.

After writing The Evolution of Sex, Geddes next turned to the establishment of a museum which would be located in his famous Outlook Tower. Being a strong believer in the need to synthesize knowledge, Geddes put his energy into the development of the Outlook Tower. He wanted to provide "a new understanding of the world...with the widest possible perspective". Geddes inscribed the motto vivendo discimus above the entrance to the Outlook Tower to signify his belief in a living museum where knowledge would be applied, not just stored. His regional museum was to provide an environment in which to advance solutions to societal problems.

Geddes held summer meeting at the Edinburgh school, utilizing the Outlook Tower to preach his three S's; 1) sympathy for people and the environment, 2) synthesis of all factors relating to a case, and 3) synergy—the combined cooperative action of everyone involved. As Meller wrote, "Geddes felt that he had formed a new philosophy of education which incorporated the many methods he had learned from Le Play, Comte, Huxley, and others during his endeavors into biology civics, and geography.

The evolutionary approach to social science which Geddes had championed was evident in the arrangement of the Outlook Tower. A tour of the museum began at the top where a camera obscura allowed for a survey of the region surrounding Edinburgh. From the top of the tower, a visitor would descend from one floor to the next, observing the wealth of synthesized knowledge concerning Edinburgh (5th floor), Scotland (4th floor), Great Britain (3rd floor), Europe (2nd floor), and the world (1st floor). The descent progressed from an understanding of one's immediate region to its impact on a global scale, emphasizing the connection between humans and the environment. In his urban studies, Geddes sought to understand this connection and its effects on culture, the evolution of cities, and the perceived cyclical nature of urban growth.

As the museum grew and Geddes continually became involved in other projects in multiple fields of study, the Town and Gown Association was formed to run the activities of the Outlook Tower. As Geddes became more detached from its daily activities, he devoted the next stage of his life to the urban planning movement.

At the time Ebenezer Howard was working with his Garden Cities movement, Geddes looked at problems of existing cities. Geddes wanted to provide a link between social reform and the urban environment not only in small towns, but also in large cities. When the 1909 Town and Planning Act was passed, it required local officials to survey the local areas before undertaking any planning. Thus Geddes published a general survey method despite his opinion that each city and its culture are unique. His work continued with the Cities and Town Planning Exhibition. In 1911, the exhibition took Geddes to Dublin, Ireland. Dublin would become Geddes focus as he attempted to solve the city's tremendous health and housing problems.

Following his trip to Ireland, Geddes wrote Cities in Evolution, an essay on the growth of cities. There Geddes emphasized preservation of historical traditions, involvement of the people in their own betterment and the rediscovery of past traditions of city building.

India:

In 1914, after enjoying some success with the Cities and Town Planning Exhibition, he decided to take his studies to India. He was attracted to India because of its challenge for him. As Meller mentioned, Geddes' urban planning had been directed toward a European culture. Extending to India his ideas about regional surveying, cooperation between man and the environment, and synthesis of knowledge would give Geddes a chance to prove himself. India's different culture and lack of industrial development provided another platform for Geddes to further his approach to urban planning.

Among the many problems facing India were the extreme poverty and obscenely overcrowded slums plaguing India's rapidily growing cities. In addressing these problems, Geddes wanted to revive indigenous customs and use them for modern purpose. Although Geddes enjoyed his challenges in India concerning urban planning, he suffered through two tremendous losses from which he never fully recovered. First, in April 1917, Geddes' son Alasdair was killed on the battlefront during World War I. Geddes had always considered Alasdair his closest companion because he best understood his father's passions and ideas. At the same time, Geddes wife Anna was suffering from dysentery. Patrick did not even tell Anna about Alasdair's death so as not to make her undergo any more anguish. In early June 1917, Anna passed away. These two tragic events occurring in such a short span left Geddes devastated and lonely. As Kitchen wrote, "It was a loneliness that would last the rest of his life".

Palestine:

In 1918, Geddes became involved in the Zionist movement, turning his interest to Jerusalem and Palestine. After five years of traveling back and forth between India and Dundee College in Scotland, the prospect of working in Jerusalem seemed to him a culmination of all his dreams. While working with Dr. M.D. Eder of the Zionist Commission, he suggested a comprehensive survey of Jerusalem which would evaluate the Past, Present and Possible. Geddes received the Commission's permission to plan Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Geddes planned for the Hebrew University to follow his ideas of synthesizing knowledge and promoting an intimate relationship between university, city, and region. Geddes left his mark on the university with the building of the Dome which he envisioned as a sign of unity. Geddes wanted his architectural style and good city planning to encourage the integration of Palestinians, Arabs, and Jews.

Geddes' Impact:

Geddes influenced the urban planning movement in many different ways. His work on regional surveying influenced Lewis Mumford and numerous others. Mumford, however, did not totally accept Geddes' ideas on social reconstruction. Yet, the method of considering social implications in city planning has carried over to the sustainable city projects of today. His understanding of the connection between the individual and the environment, as described in his last major work, Life Outlines of General Biology, constitutes the core of modern planning. In the last years of his life, Geddes settled in southern France, building a school at Montpellier. He tried to teach his views of life and the sciences. While his son Arthur helped Geddes with his school in Montpellier, the Outlook Tower in Edinburgh received less attention and eventually had to close. Still, Geddes was recognized for his lifelong efforts by being knighted in 1931. On April 17, 1932, Geddes passed away.

Geddes' work on regional surveys, cultural evolution, and urban sociology has become even more noticed since his death. His Outlook Tower and view on life serves as a catalyst for today's sustainable city movement.