Genius Loci and Path Dependent Economic Development

I’ve just finished reading The English Terraced House by Stefen Muthesius (Yale University Press, New Haven and London 1982) and he tells us that originally the English Terraced House was an urban invention, for the wealthy, which were set out in a geometric form – as a ‘gridiron’ – ignoring the geography of the place.

As he develops the history he reminds us that the aim of landscape gardeners and landscape architects was (and is) to discover, work with and develop the individual character of a particular place – its Genius Loci, and that later developments of terraced housing followed this idea.

This concept of Genius Loci is a fundamental rule of landscape gardeners and architects – that landscape designs should always be adapted to the context in which they are located.

Later this is what happened with the English Terrace and ‘Country Houses’; they worked with and within its setting, and were designed to consider both its prospect (the view from it), and its aspect (the view to it). In other words what they looked like to an outsider, and what the world looked like from those within them. The designer of the later Terraces, and Country Houses, did not assume a blank piece of paper but used its location, and its ‘spirit,’ as their starting point.

This reminds me of the concept of ‘Path Dependency’ in Economic Development; the idea that the work that goes on today is any particular place is dependent on, and is built upon, the work and industry that was carried on there in the past. And that the work and industry of the future will dependent upon, and will build on, the work and industry that is there today. This is also reflected in the thinking of Jane Jacobs who observed that new work comes out of old work – that new industries just don’t hatch out of nothing but develop out of (or at least depend on) existing work, industries and skills. New industries and new work rarely starts with a blank piece of paper.

When developing strategies and plans for anywhere we need to consider both Genius Loci and Path Dependency, and consider them as each side of the same coin, and in many cases as interchangeable concepts.

Today’s successful cities and places (and even failing ones) did not arrive fully informed; they started from small or smaller settlements which were originally located where they are today because of the particular characteristics of their location (for example, on a river where it could be crossed), and then have grown, expanded, and changed because of what work was being done there, and how the location has helped or hindered these changes. So, we have Genius Loci and Path Dependency coming together and working together.

It also strikes me that when designing places and economies we need to consider what it looks like (and feels like) for those that live and work there (the prospect) and what the place and its economy looks like to those from the outside (the aspect).

What does the place and its economy look like, and feel like, for those that live and work there; and what impression of a place and its economy do those that don’t live and work there get? These things are vitally important.

This was originally posted in my blog - if you want to see the original link is here https://stevenboxall.wordpress.com/2023/03/31/genius-loci-and-path-dependent-economic-development/

#LevellingUp #IndustrialStrategy #Landscape #Regeneration #Economy