Ideology, Planning Theory and the German City in the Inter-War Years, Part I

John R. Mullin, University of Massachusetts

Abstract

German town planning has long been hailed for its contribution to the health and prosperity of the German cities. While much has been written about the products of the planning process - the physical structures, site plans and the housing assistance programmes - relatively little has been written about the town planning theories and ideologies which provided the influences, paradigms and foci for these efforts. In particular, there has been a lack of research comparing the town planning theories developed during the years of the Weimar Republic (1918-1932) with those of the pre-war National Socialist period (1933-1939). This paper is intended as a contribution to this hitherto poorly studied area.