Louis I. Kahn and neighborhood design: The 'Mill Creek Redevelopment Area Plan', 1951-1954

In his formative years, Louis I. Kahn (1901-74) gave much thought and time to neighborhood planning. Of the numerous projects he designed during this period, the Mill Creek Redevelopment Area Plan, prepared in association with Kenneth Day, Louis E. McAllister, and Anne G. Tyng for the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, is Kahn's most mature and significant work.; The plan is a thirty-two page redevelopment study of a West Philadelphia neighborhood. Based on Kahn's greenway idea, a system of connecting pedestrian walkways linking the local landmarks, it embraces all aspects of residential living: housing, recreation, civic and commercial services, as well as vehicular and pedestrian circulation. The plan's greenway idea was later adopted by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission to guide the redevelopment of other residential areas. Since then, the greenway concept has become a staple in city planning.; Through the legacy of the Mill Creek plan, this study seeks to establish Kahn's involvement with and contribution to neighborhood planning which influenced not only city planning but also Kahn's mature work. Viewed within the context of the Planning Commission's redevelopment program, this study offers a comprehensive analysis of the plan examining its antecedents, objectives, and influence. Special attention is given to the planning and social ideas that shaped Kahn's neighborhood work and the formal vocabulary he employed to realize his social agenda: community development and preservation.