Loudon’s article on ‘Breathing Places for the Metropolis’

John Claudius Loudon was the designer of the most visionary urban landscape plans every produced for a British city. It's only 'competitor' is by another landscape architect: Sir Patrick Abercrombie's 1943-4 County of London Plan and Greater London Plan. The strengths of Loudon's plan are: (1) its simplicity (2) its comprehensiveness - it extends to the planning of transport and sewage disposal (3) it includes a plan for a governmental centre (4) not only does it propose a series of green belts, it has proposals for land use and management within the green belt (5) it covers a much larger area than any other London plan.

The possible influence of Loudon's London Plan

Loudon mentions that his plan could be used for 'a capital for an Australian union' and it appears to have been the primary influence of Capt. William Light's plan for Adelaide, which, in its turn, is said to have been the inspiration of Ebeneezer Howard's plan for Garden Cities and Green Belts. Howard undoubtedly influenced the plans for Australia's capital city (Canberra) and Abercrombie's plan for London. 

ART. VIII. Hints for Breathing Places for the Metropolis, and for Country Towns and Villages, on fixed Principles

Introduction to Loudon’s Breathing Places Concept

John Claudius Loudon's ideas on breathing places laid the groundwork for modern urban planning, particularly the integration of green belts into cityscapes. Today, concepts like greenways, public parks, and urban nature reserves owe much to Loudon's vision. His proposals prefigured movements like the Garden City movement and continue to influence the planning of sustainable cities that prioritise residents' physical and mental well-being by ensuring proximity to nature. Loudon's emphasis on public welfare through urban design remains relevant in addressing the challenges of modern urbanisation, climate change, and environmental degradation.

ART. VIII. Hints for Breathing Places for the Metropolis, and for Country Towns and Villages, on fixed Principles

A late attempt in parliament to enclose Hampstead Heath has called our attention to the rapid extension of buildings on every side of London, and to the duty, as we think, of government to devise some plan by which the metropolis may be enlarged so as to cover any space whatever with perfect safety to the inhabitants, in respect to the supply of provisions, water, and fresh air, and to the removal of filth of every description, the maintenance of general cleanliness, and the despatch of business. Our plan is very simple; that of surrounding London, as it already exists, with a zone of open country, at the distance of say one mile, or one mile and a half, from what may be considered the centre, say from St. Paul's. (fig. 171.) This zone of country may be half a mile broad, and may contain, as the figure shows, part of Hyde Park, the Regent's Park, Islington, Bethnal Green, the Commercial Docks, Camberwell, Lambeth, and Pimlico; and it may be succeeded by a zone of town one mile broad, containing Kensington, Bayswater, Paddington, Kentish Town, Clapton, Lime House, Deptford, Clapham, and Chelsea; and thus the metropolis may be extended in alternate mile zones of buildings, with half mile zones of country or gardens, till one of the zones touched the sea. To render the plan complete, it would be necessary to have a circle of turf and gravel in the centre of the city, around St. Paul's, half a mile in diameter. In this circle ought to be situated all the government offices, and central depôts connected with the administration of the affairs of the metropolis. That being accomplished, whatever might eventually become the extent of London, or of any large town laid out on the same plan and in the same proportions, there could never be an inhabitant who would be farther than half a mile from an open airy situation, in which he was free to walk or ride, and in which he could find every mode of amusement, recreation, entertainment, and instruction.

Proposed Urban Zones

Loudon envisioned a series of alternating urban and green zones, which would provide every city resident with easy access to open, green spaces, no matter how large the metropolis grew.

[Insert Fig 171 here]

Supposing such a plan considered desirable, it could not be carried into execution in such a metropolis as London, unless in consequence of accident or revolution, in less time than one or two centuries; because it could never be recommended to purchase and pull down so many valuable houses as would be requisite to form the central circle of country, and the first zone of country. But were government to determine the boundaries of certain future zones, and to enact a law that no buildings now standing on the future zones of country should be repaired after a certain year, and that when such houses were no longer habitable, the owners should be indemnified for them by the transfer of other houses of equal yearly value in another part of the metropolis, belonging to government, the transition, considering the great increase that will take place in the size of London during two centuries, and the alteration in the relative value of property in consequence of the law respecting zones, would not be felt as the slightest injustice or inconvenience. Government would be justified in adopting a plan of this sort, from its obvious reference to the public welfare; and a committee being appointed to carry the law into execution would begin by purchasing such lands as were to be sold in the outskirts of the metropolis, in order to be able, at a future period, to exchange them for lands destined to form the central circle of the first zone.

Implementation Challenges

Despite the brilliance of the idea, Loudon acknowledged that implementing such a plan would take centuries, especially in a metropolis like London, due to the existing infrastructure.

In endeavouring to give an idea of the situations of the zones round London (fig. 171.), we have drawn the boundary lines as perfect circles; but in the execution of the project this is by no means necessary, nor even desirable. The surface of the ground, the direction of streets already existing, which it would not be worth while to alter, the accidental situations of public buildings, squares, and private gardens, with other circumstances, would indicate an irregular line, which line would at the same time be much more beautiful as well as economical.

Adapting the Plan to Different Terrains

While the concept of concentric green zones suited London, Loudon recognised the need for flexibility in planning for towns with different geographical layouts, such as those near rivers or hills.

Supposing a town to be founded on this principle, a capital for an Australian union for example; then we should propose to place all the government public buildings round the central circle, in one range (abc), with the house of representatives in the centre; and between it and the government buildings as many markets, churches, and play-houses as might be deemed necessary for the inner half mile of the inner zone of town. In the first and succeeding zones of country we would place the slaughtering-houses (de), markets, churches, burial grounds, theatres, universities, parochial institutions, workhouse gardens, botanical and zoological gardens, public picture and statue galleries, national museums, public conservatories and tea-gardens (p. 251.), gasometers, public water-works, baths and swimming ponds, sewer works, and all public buildings and places whatever not connected with the national or municipal government, and therefore belonging to the circle in the centre. The zones of town we would confine as much as possible to private dwellings, not admitting squares, burial-grounds, market-places, or any naked space, save good broad streets; because we think the closeness together of the buildings containing fires, or otherwise heated by art, would materially aid ventilation, by producing a greater rarefaction of air over them, and the advantage for business and visiting would be greater. In the zones of country we would contrive to have the hay, corn, straw, and cattle markets not far apart; and we would limit certain of the streets which proceed from the centre to the circumference, and certain also of the others which run parallel to the zones, exclusively to the supply of these markets from the distant country, and to the transfer of articles from one market to another.

A Vision for Smaller Towns and Villages

Loudon believed the concept of breathing zones wasn’t just for big cities. He advocated for public green spaces in smaller towns and villages to enhance public health and community well-being.

All the streets of such a city we would limit to two kinds; radiating main streets communicating in direct lines from the centre to the circumference (d c) (d c), and concentric main streets for lateral communication (ff). Every alternate grand radiating street (deg), and concentric street (dddh), should be those alone by which cattle, hay, fuel, and similar bulky articles were brought to the markets, or conveyed from one market to another. In the radiating and concentric streets, alternating with these, the mails might be understood to depart; and in all the main streets, radiating and concentric, public conveyances, like the omnibuses in Paris, propelled by steam or otherwise, according to the improvements of the age and country, parcel carriers, letter carriers, &c., might be established for ready and economical intercommunication. Every man might thus ride from any one point in the metropolis to any other point without loss of time, and at very little expense. For instance, A living in the central circle, wishes to call on B in the second zone of town; then, by the radiating coach which passes nearest B's house, he will be set down where the radiating street crosses the concentric street in which B lives; and when one of the concentric street coaches belonging to B's street passes, A will step into it and be set down at B's door. Supposing steam carriages running on railroads to be established in every street, or even in all the main streets, this might be done with inconceivable rapidity.

The Importance of Systematic Planning

Loudon urged future legislation to consider systematic planning for green spaces to ensure that every urban area, regardless of size, could benefit from breathing zones.

It is evident that every description of goods and provisions being brought in by the radiating market roads, might be distributed by the concentric market-roads, on public conveyances, and by the ordinary concentric roads on private conveyances, with as great ease as in the case of personal intercourse. Letters and books, also, could be so distributed with great facility and rapidity. Under every street we would have a sewer sufficiently large, and so contrived as to serve at the same time as a subway for the mains of water and gas, and we would keep it in view that hot water, hot oil, steam, or hot air, may in time be circulated by public companies for heating houses; and gas supplied not only for the purposes of lighting, but for those of cookery, and some for manufactures The matters conveyed by the sewer we would not allow to be all wasted in a river; but here and there, in what we would call sewer works, to be placed in the country zones, we would strain the water by means of machinery, so as to gain from it all the putrescent vegetable and animal matter which it might hold in solution, and which would form an excellent manure for the country zones. That water, however, which passed off by the sewers without being strained, we would have carried to the river, and subjected there to mechanical or chemical processes, to purify it as much as possible before it was restored to the general mass.

Influence of Loudon's Breathing Places Plan on Modern Urban Planning

Loudon’s ideas have left a lasting impact on urban planning, influencing the creation of modern green spaces and laying the groundwork for sustainable urban design.

See also: Gardenvisit.com appreciation of John Claudius Loudon.