Humane Urbanism:

Boston MA, photo by Sean McGadden, taken from a now demolished cell tower in Newton

The ideal of humane urbanism is pursued through various legislative means as well as social initiatives. Specifically during the middle and end of the 20th century, many legislative acts were passed to elevate the collective importance of protecting environmental liabilities that existed in the acquisition, clearing and development of land. President Richard Nixon, despite his infamous reputation, was one of the most prevalent figures in pursuing environmental protection acts that would perpetuate the value of land use and ecological protection from vying entities that would otherwise subject the environment to pollutants or damage for the sake of salvaging expenditure in legal, infrastructural and social charges. Notably, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1970 was instrumental in establishing a framework of environmental assessment to ensure that pollution and physical damage to wetlands, drinking water, habitat conservation, hazardous waste management, watersheds, coastal and riparian zones as well as flooding could be mitigated by the federal government throughout all future land developments and ventures. Many of these policies were enacted following the catalytic effect of NEPA throughout the 1970’s until the beginning of the turn of the century.

Ultimately, these policies engaged to protect the environment from nefarious or ambivalent developments and civic infrastructure movements such as highways and city centers that would harm ecological systems. Despite the oblique assessment of new developments through NEPA, the main purpose of NEPA and subsequent policies was not so much as to find the most environmentally perfect solution but instead to create a dialogue with public entities and organizations to promote humane urbanism at its core. Humane urbanism is an ideal based on the collective betterment of space by allowing for a more informed conversation between those powers that are pursuing development and the public that will eventually live and suffer the effects of these developments. Humane urbanism requires inclusivity and an explicit intent to promote widespread public health initiatives. The root of these environmental policies rest on the idea that the environment itself becomes a reflection of the quality of life of those people who occupy it. By enforcing a commitment to protect the most underserved populations of people such as those with disabilities, the poor and immigrants through public housing, green spaces, shaded areas, effective infrastructure and a more equal dispersion of the highest quality public open areas. From its inception The United States has been established in all its legal pursuits to concern itself first and foremost, with the people of its land. NEPA and these environmental initiatives attempt to mitigate the adverse effects of pollution, and unsavory capital developments for the sake of a more humane urbanism and ultimately the prevention of disadvantageous attempts at degrading the public health and wellbeing.

Jane Addams offered a contradictory and more inclusive position on the possible progression of cities. Her ideas opposed the aesthetic and heroic theories of figures such as Burham and Wright. Jane Addams established the Chicago Hull House charter in 1889 in an attempt to alleviate the suffrage of unserved communities in the slum and tenement conditions on the westside of Chicago. Jane Addams saw a much different kind of grassroots solution to the problems arising out of the industrialization of American cities. She was brutally aware of a need for change on a small scale. On a personal and familial scale Addams was willing to introduce possibilities for improvement of the human condition of the American worker. She seemed to care deeply about people of all walks of life. In a text written about her life, Addams is quoted mentioning all of the deep rooted issues with regard to the administration, management and policy of struggling communities. She proposes a humane urbanism rather than a merely a beautiful urban movement;

The streets are inexpressibly dirty, the number of schools inadequate, the street lighting bad, the paying miserable and . . . and the stables foul beyond description. Hundreds of houses are unconnected with the street sewer . . . Many houses have no water supply save the faucet in the backyard, there are no fire escapes, the garbage and ashes are placed in wooden boxes which are fastened to the street platforms . . . The houses are for the most part wooded, originally built for one family and are now occupied by several . . . The ward contains 255 saloons, seven churches and two missions.

Rather than focusing on the grand avenues and embellishment of façade, Addams sought political and communal engagement of the most underserved people. Jane Addams shaped cities and society in the way that she was able to acknowledge the most repulsive aspects of urban environments and remain unwavering in her belief that positive change could be composed in some creative way. She found victory in the opportunity to make small but significant strides for everyday people in her activism and community engagement plans. A short quote that expresses this belief:

“Nothing could be worse than the fear that one had given up too soon, and left one unexpended effort that might have saved the world.”

Rutherford Platt wrote extensively on the ideal of humane urbanism. It is based on the notion that all peoples of every creed and background, in the context of an urban environment, should be offered all the innovations of technology and provided all the most up to date services available. Platt believed that humane urbanism meant supplying even the most underserved communities with the means to thrive and maintain high quality of life.

Jane Jacobs also embodies many of these ideals in her work and activism in trying to maintain attention on the improvement of non-white and poor communities. Jane Jacobs famously critiqued many of the Ville Radieuse inspired city planning movements throughout her career in search of alternative housing solutions such as the redevelopment of existing housing infrastructure rather than the relocation of thousands of residents into stark and unforgiving high rise living conditions. Her most famous accomplishment was the publication of The Death and Life of Great American Cities. This novel was both a broad and deep critique of urban development policies as the barycenter of the decline of many neighborhoods across the United States. Jacobs begins her critique with the success of self-sufficient towns and a provocation of the benefits of Howard’s Garden city ideal. Jacobs expressed the ambiguity and complexity of some self-sufficient towns and neighborhoods for their relative ability to self govern without the added benefit of being physically definable or contained. Jacobs also argues for the positive attributes of diversification of people and classes toward economic prosperity and the establishment of lively cities. In many ways, Jacobs embodies the ideals of human urbanism by the way she speaks to the needs of a wide range of groups and entities. Jacobs explains across many stages, not only her famous book, the ways in which city planning based on inclusivity, community engagement, service for all, and a more open minded dialogue will eventually come to benefit all parties involved. With a necessary tone of urgency, Jacobs persuaded many how the quality of life, economic solidarity, emotional connection and the aesthetic representation of urbanity can be improved pursuing ideals of humane urbanism.