Sir Patrick Geddes (1854 - 1932) was Scottish biologist and botanist, known also as an innovative thinker in the fields of urban planning and education He was responsible for introducing the concept of "region" to architecture and planning. 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1932 is a leap year starting on a Friday. ... Timeline of Scottish history Caledonia List of not fully sovereign nations Subdivisions of Scotland National parks (Scotland) Traditional music of Scotland Flower of Scotland Wars of Scottish Independence National Trust for Scotland Historic houses in Scotland Castles in Scotland Museums in Scotland Abbeys and priories in Scotland Gardens in Scotland... A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of organisms. ... Botany is the scientific study of plant life. ... Paris, France: One of the worlds great cities that began unplanned, but was later re-engineered through the construction of an extensive system of wide boulevards overlaid on the medieval street grid, by the Baron Haussmann under the reign of Napoleon III in the 19th century. ... // Scope and intentions According to the very earliest surviving work on the subject, Vitruvius De Architectura, good buildings should have Beauty (Venustas), Firmness (Firmitas) and Utility (Utilitas); architecture can be said to be a balance and coordination among these three elements, with none overpowering the others. ...

He was born in Ballater, Aberdeenshire, Scotland on October 2, 1854 and died in Montpelier, France on April 17, 1932. He was knighted in 1932 shortly before his death. Ballater is a burgh in Aberdeenshire, Scotland on the River Dee, just east of the Cairngorm Mountains. ... The traditional county of Aberdeenshire (Siorrachd Obar Dheathain in Gaelic) borders Banffshire and Inverness-shire to the west, Perthshire, Angus and Kincardineshire to the south, and the North Sea to the north and east. ... Timeline of Scottish history Caledonia List of not fully sovereign nations Subdivisions of Scotland National parks (Scotland) Traditional music of Scotland Flower of Scotland Wars of Scottish Independence National Trust for Scotland Historic houses in Scotland Castles in Scotland Museums in Scotland Abbeys and priories in Scotland Gardens in Scotland... Montpellier is the name of a Southern French city. ...

Geddes shared the belief with John Ruskin that social processes and spatial form are related. Therefore, by changing the spatial form it was possible to change the social structure as well. This was particularly important in the late 19th and early 20th century when industrialization was dramatically altering the conditions of life. Upper: Steel-plate engraving of Ruskin as a young man, made circa 1845, scanned from print made circa 1895. ...

Geddes demonstrated this theory through his work in Edinburgh's "Old Town". Here, in this most dilapidated area, he used associations with prominent thinkers who lived there in the 18th and 19th century (like Adam Smith), to establish residential halls. Here he situated his famous Outlook Tower, a museum of local, regional, Scottish, and world history. For other people named Adam Smith, see Adam Smith (disambiguation). ...

He collaborated with his son-in-law, prominent architect, Sir Frank Mears on projects in the Middle East and he was the founder of the College Des Ecossais, an international teaching establishment located in Montpelier, France. Architect at his drawing board, 1893 An architect, also known as a building designer, is a person involved in the planning, designing and oversight of a buildings construction, whose role is to guide decisions affecting those building aspects that are of aesthetic, cultural or social concern. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Montpellier is the name of a Southern French city. ...

Geddes strongly influenced the thinking of the American urban theorist Lewis Mumford, as well as many other 20th Century thinkers. Lewis Mumford Lewis Mumford (October 19, 1895 – January 26, 1990) was an American historian of technology and science, also noted for his study of cities. ...

As an introduction to his work, Rutgers University Press has published the text of Geddes first significant 1904 work, City Development, A Report to the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust. 1904 is a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

References

• The Interpreter Geddes: The Man and His Gospel (1927) Amelia Defries,
• Patrick Geddes: Maker of the Future (1944) Philip Boardman
• Pioneer of Sociology: The Life and Letters of Patrick Geddes (1957) Philip Mairet
• A Most Unsettling Person (1975) Paddy Kitchen
• The Worlds of Patrick Geddes: Biologist, Town Planner, Re-educator, Peace-warrior (1978) Philip Boardman
• Patrick Geddes: Social Evolutionist and City Planner (1990) Helen Meller
• Biopolis, Patrick Geddes and the City of Life (2002) Volker M. Welter

Philip (or Philippe) Mairet (1886 – 1975) was a designer, writer and journalist. ...

External links

The Geddes Institute at Dundee University, Scotland