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Patrick Geddes
10quotes
Patrick Geddes: A Visionary of Cities and Humanity
Full Name and Common Aliases
Patrick Geddes was born on February 2, 1854, in Dunkeld, Perthshire, Scotland. He is also known as Sir Patrick Geddes after being knighted in 1920 for his contributions to the field of urban planning.
Birth and Death Dates
February 2, 1854 - April 17, 1932
Nationality and Profession(s)
Scottish; Town planner, sociologist, philosopher, and biologist
Early Life and Background
Patrick Geddes was born into a family of modest means. His early life was marked by a passion for nature and the outdoors, which would later influence his work as a town planner. He studied at Aberdeen University and later in France, where he developed an interest in philosophy and social reform. In 1883, Geddes married Rachel McCormick, with whom he had two children.
Major Accomplishments
Geddes' most significant contribution to urban planning was the concept of Regional Survey, which involved a comprehensive analysis of a region's natural resources, population, and economic activities. This approach emphasized the importance of understanding the complex relationships between people, place, and economy in order to design sustainable and equitable cities.
Notable Works or Actions
Some of Geddes' notable works include:
Val de Grâce: In 1912, Geddes was invited to redevelop a neglected area in Paris. He transformed the site into a vibrant community with affordable housing, public spaces, and social facilities.
Belt and Road Initiative: Geddes envisioned a network of cities connected by roads, railways, and canals, which would facilitate trade, cultural exchange, and economic development between regions.
Impact and Legacy
Geddes' ideas about city planning have had a lasting impact on urban design. His emphasis on regional survey, social reform, and community engagement has influenced generations of planners, architects, and policymakers worldwide. Today, Geddes is recognized as one of the pioneers of modern town planning, alongside figures like Ebenezer Howard and Le Corbusier.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Geddes' quotes are often cited for their insight into the human condition and his vision for a better world. His words on community, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship continue to inspire people seeking to create more just and sustainable societies.
Quotes by Patrick Geddes
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It is interesting sometimes to stop and think and wonder what the place you are currently at used to be like in times past, who walked there, who worked there and what the walls have seen.
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Yet the leaf is the chief product and phenomenon of Life: this is a green world, with animals comparatively few and small, and all dependent on the leaves. By leaves we live. Some people have strange ideas that they live by money. They think energy is generated by the circulation of coins. Whereas the world is mainly a vast leaf colony, growing on and forming a leafy soil, not a mere mineral mass: and we live not by the jingling of our coins, but by the fullness of our harvests.
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Indexing is a successful approach to investing not because it's simple, but because it has performed so much better than the average active manager (the opposite of indexing), and the simplicity is just an added bonus.
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Instead of isolating our school and our many subjects from the every day world, we intend to plant it not merely in the French capital, but in what for next summer at least will be the focal point, the capital of the entire civilized world.
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Each social formation, through each of its material activities, exerts its influence upon the civic whole; and each of its ideas and ideals wins also its place and power.
![To avoid the Scylla of paleotechnic peace and the Charybdis of War, the leaders of the coming polity will steer a bold course for Eutopia [sic]. They will aim at the development of every region, its folk, work and place, in terms of the genius loci, of every nation, according to the best of its tradition and spirit; but in such wise that each region, each nation, makes its unique contribution to the rich pattern of our ever-evolving Western civilisation.](/_vercel/image?url=https:%2F%2Flakl0ama8n6qbptj.public.blob.vercel-storage.com%2Fquotes%2Fquote-766481.png&w=1536&q=100)
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To avoid the Scylla of paleotechnic peace and the Charybdis of War, the leaders of the coming polity will steer a bold course for Eutopia [sic]. They will aim at the development of every region, its folk, work and place, in terms of the genius loci, of every nation, according to the best of its tradition and spirit; but in such wise that each region, each nation, makes its unique contribution to the rich pattern of our ever-evolving Western civilisation.
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This is a green world, with animals comparatively few and small, and dependent on the leaves. By leaves we live.