The Resignification of the Garden Suburb as International Heritage

Abstract

The garden suburbs, developed around the turn of the 20th century, are often defined as the inferior version of the Garden City model created by E. Howard in 1898, England, mainly due to their overlapping design principles. However, this definition appears to be a perfunctory conclusion as the story behind the garden suburb is rather complex, and the origin predates the Garden City creation. Understanding the term and its design principles is essentially the initial step to be taken towards designing successful preservation strategies for these endangered garden suburbs. With only scattered mentions in the literature, there is still no consensus on the definition and concepts of the garden suburb, leading to the undervaluation of its potential role in future urban developments. This research aims to take the first steps towards envisioning a new future scenario for the garden suburbs. The study contributes, through literature studies, to the still ongoing debate by unravelling (mis-) conceptions behind the garden suburb. This results in a comprehensive taxonomy used as a base for discussion on the origin, definition, concept, and migration of the garden suburbs. In addition, the research redefines the significance of preserving the garden suburbs, and recognises its international relevance.