Companion Homepage: Claudius Buchanan, John Claudius Loudon, Jane Wells Webb > Chapter 11: Utilitarian Landscapes

The Claudians Chapter 11

Public landscapes Jolting around Europe in autumn and winter having further damaged his health, Loudon decided there was no option but to have his right arm amputated. He could no longer write or draw. His old friend, Jeremy Bentham invited him to dinner and the two men agreed about the need for a utilitarian approach to cities so that every resident could have the health-giving contact with fresh air and nature they had both enjoyed when young. They agreed on the importance of public green spaces in cities. This encouraged Loudon to give more thought to his ideas for city ‘promenades’ and for cities to grow by alternating rings of building development and greenspace, which he called Breathing Zones. Thinking about ideal cities led to talk about a novel which put forward a ‘Claudian’ vision of London as an urban landscape, in 300 years time, with the public having free access to gardens beside the River Thames. The novel was called The Mummy and had been published anonymously.

Jeremy Bentham and gardens -

Jeremy Bentham's disscetion -

Jeremy Bentham: the father of utilitarian town planning -

John Claudius Loudon’s Breathing Places: Vision for Green Zones in London -

Jeremy Bentham and Utilitarian Town Planning -

Serpentine Bridge -

Constitution Hill and Birdcage Walk -

Karlsrhue Promenade -