Making the city mobile : the place of the motor car in the planning of post-War Birmingham, c. 1945-1973
This thesis explores the ways in which Birmingham was planned for the purposes of mass automobility between 1945 and 1973. The urban landscape was reshaped substantially during this period; the relationship between automobility and town planning is examined to elaborate a deeper historical understanding of the impact of the motor car on the urban environment. Existing literature on the impact of the motor car on British society has focussed on specific roads or patterns of car usage. This thesis instead addresses the issue of how the city changed as a result of planning for automobility and what the repercussions of this strategy were. City centre redevelopment, slum clearance, public transport provision and pollution are investigated to show how the cityâs commercial, civic and residential spaces changed, and how the lives of Birminghamâs inhabitants were affected as a result of living in a âmotor city.â Birmingham City Engineer Herbert Manzoni believed that a modern city should be redeveloped to facilitate increased car use. The redevelopment of Birmingham as a âmotor cityâ was in large part ideological. Birmingham was not planned as a âmotor cityâ in reaction to increased motor car use,
Parker, Matthew
Making the city mobile : the place of the motor car in the planning of post-War Birmingham, c. 1945-1973. This thesis explores the ways in which Birmingham was planned for the purposes of mass automobility between 1945 and 1973. The urban landscape was reshaped substantially during this period; the relationship between automobility and town planning is examined to elaborate a deeper historical understanding of the impact of the motor car on the urban environment. Existing literature on the impact of the motor car on British society has focussed on specific roads or patterns of car usage. This thesis instead addresses the issue of how the city changed as a result of planning for automobility and what the repercussions of this strategy were. City centre redevelopment, slum clearance, public transport provision and pollution are investigated to show how the cityâs commercial, civic and residential spaces changed, and how the lives of Birminghamâs inhabitants were affected as a result of living in a âmotor city.â Birmingham City Engineer Herbert Manzoni believed that a modern city should be redeveloped to facilitate increased car use. The redevelopment of Birmingham as a âmotor cityâ was in large part ideological. Birmingham was not planned as a âmotor cityâ in reaction to increased motor car use,
making city mobile place motor car plan post war birmingham explore_way birmingham plan purpose mass urban_landscape reshape substantially period relationship town planning examine elaborate deep historical impact motor car urban_environment existing_literature impact motor car british_society focus_specific road pattern car usage instead address_issue city change plan repercussion strategy city centre slum clearance public transport provision pollution investigate show city commercial civic residential space change live birmingham inhabitant affect live motor city birmingham city engineer herbert believe modern city facilitate increased car use birmingham motor city large_part ideological birmingham plan motor city reaction increase motor car use