The Character of Towns

All books are products of their time and this is especially true of The Character of Towns. In today’s work environment it is particularly hard to conceive of any public servant having the time to produce, let alone publish a book of this substance. Yet in 1969, Roy Worskett was working at the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (the equivalent, if there can be such a thing, of the Department of Communities and Local Government) and was proudly able to be ‘.... grateful to the Ministry for facilitating the preparation of this book and for giving me permission to publish....’. The Character of Towns also bears clear signs of its forebears in the canon of urban design literature. Its direct ancestors include Gordon Cullen’s Townscape (see UD 125) and Buchanan's Traffic in towns (UD 127). These, together with Ian Nairn’s Outrage had contributed to the growing civic amenity movement. The movement with the backing of Duncan Sands, who was himself a rare phenomenon, a senior politician with an interest in the built environment, had been a major stimulus to the passing of the Civic Amenities Act 1967. It was both the love of the built environment and the need to provide help with the conservation aspirations of the provisions of the Act that had inspired Roy Worskett.

In many ways the publication of The Character of Towns marks the end of the heroic days of the growth of urban design ideas. Perhaps with the exception of Francis Tibbalds' Making Cities People Friendly, The Character of Towns (2000) is the last of the overtly personal views of how places work and how to enhance and protect them. The Character of Towns is not a passionate book in the way that Townscape is, yet it is clearly the work of someone who cared deeply about the world we live in and which we can either enhance or destroy. One can imagine Worskett working late into the night seeking the right photograph from his wide collection, refining an apparently simple sketch into a sophisticated message. The graphic style of The Character of Towns is also very much of its time. Worskett both wrote and illustrated the book, and the illustrations are of the Cullen genre, itself the hallmark of the publishers, the Architectural Press. It is perhaps indicative of Worskett's natural modesty that the only clue to his role in the illustrations is given by a minute RW in the corner of the main illustration on the dust jacket.

The writing style is simple and direct, and reflects the role of the book as a working guide. There are five sections. The first sets out an approach to the notion of conservation in which Worskett seeks to define the overall concept. Put simply, too simply, Worskett sees conservation as a blending of preservation and thoughtful change. The process requires an assessment of the existing situation and this is covered by the second section, Approach to Conservation. Here the pressures on towns and cities are examined, and the contrast between the need for economic growth and preservation are examined, illustrated by the familiar photographs of narrow alley ways, enticing flights of stairs and tree filled squares, complemented by Worskett's analytical sketches. It is remarkable to see how little clutter there was in urban spaces in the 60s. Has a tidal wave of signs, boxes, cables, CCTV cameras and burglar alarms swept over our urban areas in the last 40 years? From these illustrations it certainly seems so.

Moving on to establish principles to guide conservation, the next section establishes the need to recognise that change and preservation must be in balance, and that change may be necessary if important parts of a town are to be retained. Economic viability is seen as essential if conservation is to have any long-term relevance. Worskett also emphasises the need for the prioritisation of investment, and for positive community involvement. The last part of this section introduces conservation areas and finally environmental areas. Worskett then places these principles in a policy framework, before moving on to his core interest, design. This makes up the bulk of the book in which, through a series of case studies using text, sketches and photographs, he examines a wide range of conservation opportunities. The range is impressive and buried in its heart, is a section on ‘townscape discipline’ which seeks to find means of identifying the essential character of a town through its component identity areas.

The final section provides a guide to the survey and appraisal of an area as part of the overall planning policies. The emphasis is on appraisal in the field, and the guide sets down a stage-by-stage approach aimed at ensuring that conservation policies have been tested against other policy demands, and that they are rigorous and defensible. This section is well worth careful examination by anyone faced with reviewing a conservation area.

To conclude, revisiting The Character of Towns tempts one to ask if we have not all become a little complacent. Where is the passion and belief in publications today? Yes there are worthy, well researched books that are clearly the product of collaboration and joint working. But they seem to lack the fire and energy that is found in the books of the 60s and 70s. Perhaps the codification and formalisation of good practice has made us all just a little too close to box tickers and seekers of defensible compromises, rather than passionate seekers of the best; alternatively, the privatisation of design professionals in the public sector has resulted in such a lean machine that nobody has time to think beyond the next bid, let alone write a book.