ロンドン・スクエアーの形成過程に関する歴史的研究

Abstract

This paper will examine how the function and design of the London Square was shaped by broader social and cultural change, in the period between the development of Covent Garden in the seventeenth century, and the establishment of the archetypal Garden Square by the beginning of the nineteenth century. The study examines how changing management of urban open spaces influenced their design and functions, while also considering the development of ideas of natural landscape in the city. In particular, the paper argues that management regulations on the central part of a Square and on the secondary street in a Square formed the central open space to be a privileged communal space for the Square residents’ use. At the same time there was cultural tendency to admire horticulture among the gentry, leading to attempts to bring natural elements into the design of squares-particularly lawns, shrubs and trees. These modifications culminated in the mature Garden Square of the late-eighteenth century, which had a relatively fixed form. The paper charts the diffusion of this form of urban open space.