William Fulton recalls the late Ed Bacon, Philadelphia's chief planner for more than two decades, as more than the cranky and quirky man he became in his later years.
Trained as an architect, Edmund Bacon virtually ruled Philadelphia during the 1950s and 1960s, when he was the executive director of the Philadelphia Planning Commission. He helped move the city away from machine politics and gave his Planning Commission a remarkable amount of power.
"His vision," Fulton writes, "was the city as the experience of moving through space â€" a path or a shaft â€" and most of his plans used this idea as the focal point. His idea of an implementation technique was to use the force of a will so strong that he seemed unable to separate Philadelphia from himself."
Bacon's authoratarian approach lost favor during the 1960s, but the New Urbanists have revived Bacon's reputation because they agree with his physical determination and formalistic designs.
Thanks to Paul Shigley
Read the full story: Remembering Philadelphia Planner Ed Bacon
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