Conceiver Of The Humane Metropolis

After World War II,faced with many American urban problems such as the suburbs sprawl,the decline of the inner city,and the isolation of residence,some sociologists began to criticize the traditional urban planning and architecture disciplines.Urban design disciplines were born in this kind of criticism,and subsequently set off a diversified urban design trend based on humanism.William Whyte’s urban observation and research also came from this period.Therefore,based on the background of the post-war American social city development and the personal experience of Whyte,this paper comprehensively reviews White’s urban observations,comments,and ideas,and explains them separately from sociology,urban planning,and urban design.At present,China is also in the transition period of urban construction goals.The sorting out and summing up of urban thoughts generated by Whyte during the similar development of cities in the United States will undoubtedly have enlightening significance for the development of urban design during the transition period in China.Therefore,the paper finally combines Whyte’s urban thoughts with the actual context of China,and proposes some inspirational suggestions for future urban design.From the research content,the full text is divided into eight chapters.The first chapter is "Introduction",which is an overview of the subject,and summarizes the research status,content and methods.The second chapter is "The background of the times".It is a review of the post-war U.S.society and the background and main issues in this urban development period.Besides,it introduces Whyte’s personal experience.The third,the fourth and the fifth chapter are the main narrative parts of the full text.The third chapter is "Sociology: The individuals struggle with organizations".It is an overview of Whyte’s organizational observations and thoughts in the field of sociology.They are described in four aspects: the emergence of the organization,the relationship between the organization and the individual,Whyte’s observation of the suburbs,and the mirror relationship between the organization and the city.The fourth chapter is "Urban Planning: Urban Concentration Theory".It is a review and an overview of White’s urban planning strategies and ideas embodied in open space protection.They are described in f three aspects: urban concentration,land policy and spatial means.The fifth chapter is “Urban Design: Humanized Space”,which is an overview of Whyte’s research methods and ideas in the revival of the public space in the inner city.They are described from four aspects: the humanization space,social behavior,the critique of zoning regulations,and the practice of Bryant Park.The sixth chapter is “The Summary of William Whyte’s Urban Thought”,which is based on the analysis of the previous article and summarizes the urban thought of Whyte.They are described from four aspects of Whyte’s thought: characteristics,genealogy,contribution and limitations.The seventh chapter is "The inspiration of William Whyte’s urban thought to China".It is an inspiration and reference for William Whyte’s urban thought under the realistic context of China.They are described from the two aspects: urban design practice,vigilance "elitism" of "anti-elitism".The eighth chapter is "Conclusion",which is a summary of the conclusions of the full text research.