Sir Patrick Geddes, Lewis Mumford and the importance of sustainability

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L. Mumford was an innovator, introducing new terms, like megatechnics, for the reconstruction of urban landscape.

Lewis Mumford has been characterised by Ian McHarg as “the most knowledgeable and wisest man” and, of course, righteously so. His multifaceted character led him to the subjects of Sociology, History and Philosophy of technology as well as studies about architectural design and urban planning, while he was also a literary critic. He laid down the foundations for the humanist turn in design since his term organic humanism was the main pillar around which his thoughts and studies would develop. 

Initial ideas on the relationship between man and nature

Born in 1912 and in New York, Mumford first began studying within the field of sociological research, following the footsteps of his teacher Patrick Geddes. From a young age, he worked as an architecture critic in magazines such as The New Yorker and his book writing began just as early, with his book The Brown Decades (1931) being his first venture for the interdisciplinary approach of the relationship between architecture and urbanisation, always within a social context. 

In these first publications, Mumford casts a positive light on the course of humanity, which would soon be able to use technology (i.e. electricity and communications) to its own merit. Perhaps, in part, it was this optimistic stance towards the ever-increasing technological progress that triggered the use of new materials and technologies in reconstruction - examples of this can be found in the work of L. Sullivan and F. L. Wright, who seem to have been heavily influenced by the American critic-, however, that changed when, later, Mumford formulated an opinion completely opposite of that of Marshall McLuhan. The latter claimed that technology would be the one to define human nature, with Mumford rejecting this opinion, in fact calling it a nightmare scenario. He instead proposed a turn to «organic humanism». The meaning of the term is not hard o grasp since it connects humanism with the urgent need to study and respect nature and all it includes, from air and water quality to the availability of edible resources and to the feeling of comfort in space. We could say that Mumford’s idea had been formed to function as an obstacle to the ever-increasing technological activity and the actions of humans, which harm nature and consequently humans themselves. 

That was Lewis Mumford’s first introduction to sustainability since the more humans align with their surrounding natural environment the more they will succeed in their aspirations and endeavours. 

However, in addition to the above, Mumford could be characterised as a greater visionary than his teacher, Patrick Geddes, having introduced a historical-cultural dimension to sustainability as well as the concept of the "self".

Regionalism as a cultural vision?

The American critic tried to approach the issue -or, the many issues to be precise- holistically by combining his individual interests to form a model idea of an ecological and sustainable culture. The core of the problem according to Mumford was alienation from the self, a self nowadays distorted and removed from nature. Somewhere here is also the basis for his theory about the technic, which does not only stand for anything technological but could also be identified with the arts (tekhne) that relate to deeper concepts and actions of the self. Therefore, for Mumford, the change that needs to take place is in the individual, their culture and their worldview. This transformation could be achieved through the cooperation of many "selves", a community which would be able to redefine the economy based on more ecological models such as the creation of regional geography that would be capable of highlighting the potential of the place. In this way, regionalism - of course far removed from the negative meaning of the term - becomes the only way of trying to harmonise design with regional design, an attempt that demands the direct participation of the citizen, or even better, of each self. 

How does this form of regionalism relate to sustainability? What is the role of aesthetics?

Aesthetics and sustainability

In the second volume of The Myth of the Machine (1970), Lewis Mumford introduces the term megatechnics to criticise modern technology, which is characterised by the absence of quality and timelessness, while at the same time, it exists to serve the needs of hyper-consumerism. He opposes this use of technology, which can make the world dystopian, and proposes the idea of ​​each region achieving self-sufficiency. Thus, the design and form of cities should be based on aesthetics. However, not necessarily the aesthetics that concern the beauty of the landscape but the aesthetics that concern the existence of arable land around the cities, which will make it self-sufficient and - by extension - sustainable.  

The Myth of the Machine Vol II: The Pentagon of Power (1970) | Image Source: d3525k1ryd2155.cloudfront.net

After all, as he allegorically put it, the "container" (the form, the structure of the city) should be in a continuous and harmonious relationship with the "content" (the people and everything connected with their activities, the civilization). Therefore, culture should always cooperate with the environment, just as with the Garden City Movement, where community activities were integrated into nature, which is everywhere within the urban fabric and therefore at the basis of culture.

In the above, influenced by the aforementioned term technics, Mumford refers to the term ecotechnics, to describe the rational use of technology - after all, he was not an opponent of technology - on a regional level to achieve the well-being of the region and the people who live in it. The logic behind ecotechnics is the harmonisation of humanity with nature and the understanding of its connection with the environment, which should be perceived as a reference and example for living. Besides, as he states in his book The Myth of the Machine Vol II: The Pentagon of Power: If we are to prevent megatechnics from further controlling and deforming every aspect of human culture, we shall be able to do so only with the aid of a radically different model derived directly, not from machines, but from living organisms and organic complexes (ecosystems).

The city in Mumford’s thought

Lewis Mumford was not absolute when it came to technology. Although he considered it as a means for the better development of man, he proposed the use of native materials and energy sources in order to carry out the necessary human activities. He did not turn a blind eye, believing that sustainability would be the result of abolishing technology. What he aimed at was the change of human thought, which should focus on the self, or rather the social spectrum of the self. Only then would there be a shift towards urban sustainability. Only then would we perhaps be able to overcome the socio-environmental crisis, which plagues our societies to this day. Perhaps, then, we should think practically of Lewis Mumford when he viewed cities "as spatialized and spatializing entities of social connectedness".

Further reading and Sources:

D. C. Wahl (2017). Visionaries of Regenerative Design II: Lewis Mumford (1895–1990). From: medium.com

K. Stunkel, and F. G. Novak. “Lewis Mumford’s Idea of Community in an Urban World.” Urban History, vol. 26, no. 2, 1999, pp. 249–56. JSTOR, jstor.org

L. Mumford. The Culture of Cities. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., (1938).

L. Mumford. The city in history: Its origins, its transformations, and its prospects. San Diego: Harcourt, Brace & Co., (1989).

The New Yorker archives, at newyorker.com.