ABSTRACT
Under the influence of Geddes, Victor Branford blended sociology, civics and town planning to introduce the art of polity-making called ‘City Design’. In this chapter we will see that through to the Great War, Branford led sociological surveys to inform the design of cooperative infrastructural and cultural projects, which he associated with an incipient Religion of Idealism. As post-war reconstruction efforts faltered, he expounded a community engagement programme for ‘City Design’ called the ‘Third Alternative’. Through an analysis of this scheme, we will see how Branford’s work made an important contribution to the design discourse of participatory place-making.
