“Learning the city”: Patrick Geddes, exhibitions, and communicating planning ideas

Abstract

In what ways can we advance the community’s understanding of cities and enhance possibilities for creative responses to urban problems? Patrick Geddes’ communication methodologies remain relevant to answering these questions. Two constants across his long career were his propagandizing and pedagogical activities. The bedrock of both were exhibitions. Inspired by the succession of Great Exhibitions from the mid-nineteenth century, Geddes directed his thirst for acquiring and sharing knowledge into a rambling collection of planning materials gathered from all corners of the globe and organised into his own series of exhibitions which prompted viewers to relate the work of other places to their own. Drawing on assemblage thinking, this paper argues that Geddes' exhibitionary work prefigures McFarlane’s notion of “urban learning” across the requisite activities of translation, coordination and dwelling. We describe these changes and the interplay between Geddes' epistemology and his exhibition practices to reflect on how his approach to civic education retains pertinence to the present day.