Introduction

Patrick Geddes (1854–1932), one of the better known early British town planners, is a popular subject of research, whose legacy attracts renewed scholarly attention. ¹ Geddes was born 2 October 1854 in Ballater, Scotland. He studied natural sciences in London and Paris, and finally became Chair of Botany at Dundee College in 1889. Geddes’ social aspirations led him to be involved in piecemeal rehabilitation of the urban environment in his city of residence, Edinburgh, where he purchased and rebuilt several properties along the dilapidated Royal Mile. His more educational endeavors included the city's first students’ hall and especially the Outlook Tower, a unique museum that hosted various educational, social, and environmental activities. In 1897, Geddes worked abroad for the first time, helping Armenian refugees in Cyprus to regain their livelihood through a local agricultural endeavor. He then became involved in various urban plans in Scotland, his first major work being a suggested park for Dunfermline in 1904. Geddes’ major debut as a planner was at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Town Planning Conference of 1910, where he presented an urban planning exhibition. Having later displayed the exhibition in Dublin, Geddes instigated the first international planning competition for the city in 1914. On the same year he embarked on his imperial career, having been summoned to present his exhibition in Madras. The exhibition traveled throughout India, bringing Geddes numerous planning commissions, mainly for local independent rulers. He also suggested plans for Aden and for Ceylon. The vast majority of his plans, however, were never implemented. Following his celebrated plan for the University of Indore in 1918, Geddes was invited to Palestine to plan the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Geddes returned to Palestine several times, suggesting more successful plans for various cities including Jerusalem and Haifa, finally creating the first master plan for the city of Tel Aviv. At the same time he also served as the chair of Sociology and Civics at the University of Bombay while still pursuing his local career as an independent planner. Geddes’ final major educational endeavor was the Collège des Écossais in Montpellier, France, where he died on 17 April 1932.