Precedents of or For Precedents
Park Forest was developed through an outstanding planning and the development of the community. This is according to Randall who was a landscape planner and recognised the Park Forest among the first towns after World War II (Retzlaff, & Rebecca 433). In his analysis, Randall noted that building of the best cities relies upon the selection of the best landscape, professional planning and marketing. There are several kinds of precedents that have made Park Forest a basis of which other towns emerge from. The basis of its foundation is due to good planning and design. However, there are secondary sources that outline the progress of the Park Forest and its contribution to the development of other towns. The concept extends to where the town borrowed the whole idea (Calthorpe 45). The incorporation of the precedents in the future and previous projects is very important in this approach
The town was developed by experienced men with the right skills in many areas such as architectures and planners. For instance, the architects who participated in the process were Jerrold Leobl and Norman Schlossman. However, Richard Benett was one of the planners that had more experience because he participated in the building of another Greenbelt town (Wilson 328). Therefore the town was well designed and planned. Park Forest was designed and planned professionally. It also boasts of good landscape which made the construction to be easy.
The design was further facilitated by Randall who introduced other planners such as Philip Klutznick, Caroll Fuller Sweet, and Nathan Manilow who contributed to a bigger extent towards the development of the Park Forest. The Forest Park was the product of the cities that were already designed such as Riverside, Illinois and other cities of Letchworth among others. Park Forest was termed as the child of these major cities that had already existed (Wilson 328). The best methods that were used in building these cities were also employed in the Park Forest. For this reason, the Park Forest came out as one of the outstanding towns after World War II. It is therefore clear to note that the Forest Park was natured and brought into its status through the experience from predecessors. Figure 1 below shows the proposed system of the roads in the park and the country as design in 1903. The
Figure 1: The proposed system of the Forest Parks and the country pleasure roads in 1903 (Retzlaff 437)
The expertise in building the Park Forest town was boosted by Elbert Peets who was an architect who had a good experience and well known for his good work. He participated in the building of the Green Belt cities which were Greendale and Wisconsin. In his argument, he suggested that the design is related to community building ideas that were used in the International Cities. The outstanding work of the planners and designers led to their recognition (Wilson 331). They were highly ranked in Rosevelt and Truman administrations.
The black forest was developed mainly to accommodate many families through the development of suburbs. The program was made successful by experienced people in Suburb development who were Randall and Martinson. Apart from quality planning the Park Forest, the houses that were constructed were of low cost that benefited the new groups of military people and young families. The houses were able to accommodate a large number of people. The houses were able to accommodate 3010 families during the initial phase and over the years the population continued to increase up to 5500 in the 1950s (Wilson 331). The Park Forest served as a role model for home building according to Randall. According to Randall, the concept of development of suburbs led to the development of other cheaper houses in other towns to meet the needs of the growing population. Randall contributed in many ways towards the development of suburbs. The suburbs were unique and affordable
There were greater ambitions for the Park Forest. The high ambition led to quality developments in the town. The main ambition was to develop a Green Belt town. Due to this reason, the town was well designed and planned to reflect the image of the Green Belt town. A qualified team of designers led by Park Forest planned of what was termed as the third last and the best Greenbelt town. The status of the town made it be recognised and form the basis of the development of other towns (Whyte, Hollingsworth, and Joseph Nocera 348). The precedents of the green belt had an impact on the future of the growth of the town. The figure below shows the forest preserves as they appear today. They are mainly used as recreational grounds for the people.
Figure 3: The forest preserves as they appear today (Retzlaff 446)
The main precedent that was borrowed by the Park Forest was the unique planning and design. The Park Forest is described as the child of the Greenbelt cities. Most of the concepts that were used in the designing and planning of the cities were translated to the Park Forest. Park Forest was termed as an extension of the Greenbelt cities. The whole planning operation was carried out as a reflection of the previous cities. The developers wanted to create the fourth Greenbelt town (Retzlaff, & Rebecca 438). Therefore, with this in mind, the planners and designers had to employ similar skills that were used in the development of these towns.
The main precedent borrowed is the same manpower that participated in the building of the Greenbelt cities. The cities were designed by qualified individuals led by Elbert Peets who was a renowned landscape architecture (Wilson 331). The other professional who added more force was Randall who was a planner and a designer of the buildings.
The architecture of the houses was mainly suburbs which already existed in the Greenbelt towns. The same concept was carried to the development of the suburbs in the Park Forest. The Suburbs were considered cheap houses which were commonly used by military people who are newly entering into service. The houses could greatly impact the economy of the Park City. The houses initially housed close to 3000 rental units in the groups that were around the landscape courts and 5500 units that housed the single families (Retzlaff, & Rebecca 438). The whole of this idea was borrowed from other Greenbelt towns. The houses were affordable and the low-income earners could live a better life
Planning principles that were used in Park Forest were similar to the principles used in the Greenbelt cities. The guiding principle led to the development of a high-class town that had the status of the modern town (Retzlaff, & Rebecca 438). Figure 2 below shows the forested areas marked for forest park preservation in 1909. The plan sought to ensure that the urban parks and forest reserves were well protected.
Figure 2: Map of the preserve Metropolitan Park System (Retzlaff 440)
The precedent formed the basis of developing other towns. According to Randall, the whole idea of planning and design acted as “a role model for home building for the rest of the century’’. The whole idea that was used in building Park Forest was also used in developing other towns. Therefore, this formed a basis for the emergence of different cities across the globe (Plunz 26). Generally, the same concepts that were used in the design and planning were incorporated in other projects. Houses of high quality were built. Thus the precedents form the foundations of the future projects.
In the process of interactions between different professionals, different skills were exchanged which finally led to the emergence of other designers and architectures who continued the process. Initially, there were only a few renowned planners such as Elbert Peets and Randall but later there came a number of planners and designers. Expansion of skills to other people is very important because it encourages continuity (Plunz 29). A different generation can take over once the existing generation depletes.
The whole idea led to a reduction in the cost of living because of the emergence of cheap houses called the suburbs. The improved living standards of the people were also a major project of the precedent. The economy grew and also the stability of the country. The precedent of Park Forest borrowed various ideas from different projects to attain its status. The main area where precedent borrowed is design and planning of the town. These borrowed concepts increased the growth of the city. They also impacted the future through the precedents. In attaining its status, the borrowed precedents have led to a reduction in the cost of living through the process of design that resulted in affordable housing (Plunz 29). In impacting the future projects, many towns are constructed through the precedent of Park Forest.
From the studies, it is indeed clear that architectural design has revolutionized. Community design has become a very critical element urban planning. As it has been shown, it is widely influenced by factors such as the environment and social elements. Besides professional architectural and planning input into the projects, it is important to ensure that the views of the community and other stakeholders are put in place. This will help improve the quality of the planning operations.
Works Cited
Calthorpe, Peter. The next American metropolis: Ecology, community, and the American dream. Princeton architectural press, 1993.
Plunz, R. (2016). A history of housing in New York City. Columbia University Press.
Retzlaff, Rebecca C. “The Illinois Forest Preserve District Act of 1913 and the emergence of metropolitan park system planning in the USA.” Planning Perspectives 25.4 (2010): 433-455.
Whyte, William Hollingsworth, and Joseph Nocera. The organization man. Vol. 342. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1956.
Wilson, William H. “American Dreamscape: The Pursuit of Happiness in Postwar Suburbia/America’s Original GI Town: Park Forest, Illinois.” American Planning Association. Journal of the American Planning Association 68.3 (2002): 328.
