Mumford's Idea of a City

Mumford's Idea of City
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Mumford's Idea of City
American cities continue to grow across the country at varying rates, with planning mostly centered on the physical needs of the space. According to Mumford (1937), he reiterates that the physical aspects of cities have significantly overrun the social aspects. This means that most planners do not consider the individual needs of residents but rather create spaces hoping that the people would conform to them. Consequently, in the long run, such residents tend to abandon these areas in search for others that offer more friendly amenities, including green spaces and recreational facilities. Therefore, Mumford’s analysis of cities highlight a growing case of misdirected efforts by planners to rate the social nucleus of cities as an afterthought.
Social infrastructure is an important aspect of public life especially in sprawling cities but it has continued to be ignored in many cities. These include facilities such as sidewalks, eateries, playgrounds and launderettes that may be used occasionally by residents (Latham & Layton, 2019). Mumford conceptualizes a city as a collection of buildings within a limited space with groups of people related by one or more forms of economic or social integration (Mumford, 1937). This means that the connections available in cities from the principal conditions in the basic structural components of the city. As a result, development of successful cities can only occur in cases where such social connections can be fostered. For instance, areas without playgrounds hinder the optimal growth and development of children by denying them the opportunity to interact with their peers.
Furthermore, Mumford’s reasoning on size limitations of cities offers compelling insight on better planning practices. A concentrated effort on increasing physical organization can lead to extre...