Protection Of The British Village Preservation Commission (CPRE) On British Villages (1926-1945)

As the earliest country which entered industrialization and modernization. Britain has kept the world’s most beautiful traditional rural landscape. Why beauty of the English countryside was not quickly engulfed by powerful urbanization and industrial development. On the contrary, which is became the important national cultural characteristics and historical heritage. This is worth thinking deeply. One reason is that, after the First World War, with joint efforts of the government and non-government organizations, the elite and the public class, the British society gradually formed a consensus of protecting rural. Council for the Preservation of Rural England(CPRE) is such a non-governmental environmental protection organization. It promoted the transformation of environmental protection from the cities governance to countryside preservation, and called for the protective governance in rural landscape and rural environmental during the two world wars. This thesis selects the time period from the beginning of organization founding to the end of the Second World War (1926-1945) as the research period, which is aiming at pointing out the connecting link in British natural environment protection history, and the meaning for the British countryside protection and transition though the CPRE’s governance theory and practice.Different from other environmental groups at that time, CPRE put forward the unique concept of "protective governance" in rural environmental management and protection. In this thesis, "protective governance" refers to "under the framework of integration of urban and rural, with the method of protection and development, mainly on the governance of natural environment and humanistic environment". CPRE and other organization supported by the government and the people gradually, and got protect in some areas by law. The successful practice and experience of CPRE has important significance for those countries who are dealing with the issues between the economic development and environmental governance, harmonic development between urban and rural area, and problems between rural planning and landscape construction.This article is mainly composed of four parts:The first part examines the historical background of founding of CPRE. The destruction of the English countryside under the industrial development, the deficiency of early environmental protection organizations in rural governance; and people homesickness for beautiful countryside, all these factors make CPRE emerged at the right moment in the early 20 century.The second part mainly discusses the idea of "’protective governance" of CPRE. The concept "protective governance" contains three meanings as follow:governance of urban-rural integration, governance of protection and development at the same time, governance of the natural and historical landscape.The third part mainly focuses on the practice of CPRE’s "protective governance".CPRE’s restriction of "Ribbon Development" is carried out by efficient organization operation and propaganda. Moreover, CPRE participated the government project and National Park building. All of these make the practice under "protective governance" get approved from government and people.The fourth part evaluates the achievements and limitation, of CPRE. This thesis confirms the "protective governance" played a positive role in the English countryside environment improvement, and the role of maintaining national spiritual identity. The successful experience of CPRE will also be beneficial for Britain and other countries who are suffering from environmental problems.