Natalie Taggert: 639962
Tutorial 2: Claire, Monday 10AM-11AM.
Topic: Planning Under Fascism

Town Planning to 1945 – Jeffery M. Diefendorf

Jeffery M. Diefendorf analyses planning efforts and ideas from before 1933, throughout the Nazi era, up until 1945.  Post-war planning did not begin from a clean slate, but was impacted on by pre-war planning models. Town planners thought about the future of cities for the first time, rather than merely reconstructing cities the way they were previously. Diefendorf discusses the wider framework that was involved for reconstruction planners to develop their tasks and plans.

Town planning became a distinctive discipline in Germany in the 20^th century. The basis of German urban planning involved town extension plans, the garden city movement, regional planning and programs for urban renewal.

Extension planning is the first trend touched upon in the chapter. It involved shaping areas outside the historic cores, however, this was difficult because local councils were disaggregated, allowing owners to develop their properties however they liked, and other citizens such as police to control the location of the roads.

To move towards more positive planning, important competitions were held to design ring roads and new outer districts. Population density, transportation and land use were taken into consideration into these designs. Planners began combining structural aspects as well as aesthetics into their designs.

Diefendorf moves onto discussion of the evolution of the Garden cities in Germany. Howard’s ideology of Garden Cities was that they would be new, sustainable cities that held social, land and environmental reform. Containing all aspects of a city such as industry, culture, commerce and residential housing with contact to an established urban centre, they were thought to create a healthy community with the working class and middle class being able to live together in peace, surrounded by greenery which was assumed to generate peace, allowing a sense of escape from the chaos of the metropolis. Planning garden cities was difficult and often resulted in garden suburbs housing greenery in residential areas but a metropolis still existing with industry and other facilities. The German garden city movement featured elements of social darwinistic, and racial thinking. The first German garden city, which was more of a garden suburb, was Hellerau in 1908. These garden city ideals followed through various planning designs such as Schumacher’s green belts in Cologne and Ernst May’s design in Frankfurt that followed contours of the landscape, connecting with nature.

 

Figure 1:  Hellerau, A view along Am Grünen Zipfel Street, from 2008 (Metropolis Magazine, 2015).

Another trend explored is regional planning. It became a German planning trend in 1910 during the Berlin competition. Regional planning studied the urban dynamics and its effects on small towns outside boundaries of large cities, and prepared for integration of these small towns. The lack of connectivity and the barriers between states made regional planning ineffective.

Mentioned quite often throughout the chapter is Fritz Schumacher. He was admired for being a modern planner who combined the study of topography, social trends, demographics, transportation and industry and trade rather than simply aesthetics. He understood the problem of unplanned urban growth resulting from the housing issue that arose people being forced to live in unsuitable conditions, and that synthesising these various aspects could be a solution. To solve the great metropolis issue, Schumacher had to analyse the relationship between complexes of buildings and open spaces, rather than simply single buildings. Schumacher integrated nature and greenery as part of an expanding, organic urban structure, the green belt.

Diefendorf continues on to explain planning during the Third Reich which existed from 1933-1936. The Nazi regime allowed for complete planning that involved the entire urban environment. The National Socialists provided legal frameworks and financial resources for planning to go ahead. Urban renewal programs of this time disposed of standard housing, reduced population densities and opened up blocks, allowing for new streets. This small style housing in greenery that arose was seen as healthy living that would supposedly strengthen political support.

Feder’s idea of developing an organic town is constrasted with two cities that were actually built. Feder’s theory involved decentralising populations into smaller garden cities. The large cities would be broken up into “cells” that would have their own planned amenities such as schools and other necessary utilities.  He believed this design would create healthy villages with strong connections to nature. Two cities planned by Koller and Rimpl, followed modern planning ideas with industry located away from the rest of the city and housing set in greenery.

Following on came the move towards redesigning cities that would have altered the historic urban structures more than urban renewal programs did. Hitler’s program for redesigning cities featured traits that cities must have. These included broad, long avenues with a forum or a large square at the end, a huge hall to house large assemblies, and large party buildings. His designs were to be monumental with the intention of intimidating and manipulating residents and to display the power of the Third Reich.

Gutschow is largely discussed for his long term impact on German town planning. He was largely influential, involving many planners in his projects such as major expansions for harbors and planning residential suburbs, as well as rail-lines and Autobahn networks. Gutschow developed a system of organising residential settlements where they would live in “cells” with mixed housing amongst greenery, encouraging integration of social classes. These cells would be placed around community buildings and would be oriented allowing maximum sunlight exposure. They were also designed to avoid future attacks and air raids.

Reconstruction planning followed where bombed cities were rebuilt, often considering the likelihood of future wars occurring. It would involve creating open spaces in interiors of housing blocks instead of rebuilding destroyed central cities in their old form. Information regarding what damage had occurred to particular buildings was effective for the reconstructing strategy.

Discussing the various trends of pre-war planning that led to 1945, it is evident how they would be important for consideration during post-war planning. Investigating some of the most influential German planners showed the range of ideologies that were often combined to create and continuously improve Germany based on its needs at the time and its standards set by Hitler. It can be seen how the trends of planning changed and grew over the years leading to the war and how different approaches and angles were taken by different planners impacting Germany now.

Jeffery M. Diefendorf, ‘Town Planning to 1945’ in In the Wake of War: the Reconstruction of German Cities after World War II New York, Oxford: Oxford UP 1993 pp. 151-180

Magazine, M. (2015). The Charms of Suburbia. from http://www.metropolismag.com/February-2014/The-Charms-of-Suburbia/?cparticle=3&siarticle=2