“Civics”: Patrick Geddes's theory of city development

In this paper, we explore Patrick Geddes concept of civics. Drawing primarily upon his early 20th century essays, Civics as concrete sociology Parts I and II supplemented by additional primary works by Geddes and his co-authors as well as secondary literature, we propose Geddes used elements of these and other writings to frame out a theory of city development. The theory explored the transitional dynamics and institutions fundamental to urban transformation. We conclude by offering Geddes's theory of city development as an incremental but deeply transformative alternative to mainstream modernist planning.