Designing the “Great City”: Walt Whitman’s Vision as an Urban Planner

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Identifying himself with the “builder at work in cities,” Whitman aspires to transform his city into an ideal city. Particularly, his experiences as a journalist inspire him to ameliorate the widespread urban problems in New York. As early as the 1840s, Whitman consistently captures the various urban ills and offers reasonable solutions from an urban reformer’s perspective. He also reveals his aspiration to be an urban planner whose primary goal is the use of land and design of the urban environment. His desire to erase the boundaries between nature and civilization distinguishes the poet from his contemporary writers and landscape architects. With the perspective of a “builder” or a “architect,” Whitman strongly advocates more “open places” in the city like a park. Overcoming Frederick Law Olmsted’s dichotomy of the park versus the city, Whitman has an insight into the efficient usage and layout of the “open places” to facilitate the amelioration of the city. Most of all, Whitman’s “great city” represents the cleanly, organic, democratic, ecological and healthy city where technology, human beings and nature have a harmonious relationship. Ultimately, his “great city” like Mannahatta corresponds with the sustainable city in the modern.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Identifying himself with the “builder at work in cities,” Whitman aspires to transform his city into an ideal city. Particularly, his experiences as a journalist inspire him to ameliorate the widespread urban problems in New York. As early as the 1840s, Whitman consistently captures the various urban ills and offers reasonable solutions from an urban reformer’s perspective. He also reveals his aspiration to be an urban planner whose primary goal is the use of land and design of the urban environment. His desire to erase the boundaries between nature and civilization distinguishes the poet from his contemporary writers and landscape architects. With the perspective of a “builder” or a “architect,” Whitman strongly advocates more “open places” in the city like a park. Overcoming Frederick Law Olmsted’s dichotomy of the park versus the city, Whitman has an insight into the efficient usage and layout of the “open places” to facilitate the amelioration of the city. Most of all, Whitman’s “great city” represents the cleanly, organic, democratic, ecological and healthy city where technology, human beings and nature have a harmonious relationship. Ultimately, his “great city” like Mannahatta corresponds with the sustainable city in the modern sense.

참고문헌 (Reference)

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8 Landry, Charles, "The Creative City: A Toolkit For Urban Innovators" Routledge 2008

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12 Czerniak, Julia, "Large Parks" Princeton Architectural P 19-34, 2007

13 Holloway, Emory, "I Sit and Look Out: Editorials from the Brooklyn Daily Times by Walt Whitman" Columbia UP 1932

14 Beatley, Timothy, "Green Urbanism: Learning From European Cities" Island P 2000

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21 Pannapacker, William, "A Companion to Walt Whitman" Blackwell 42-59, 2006