October 2nd 1854 saw the birth of modern urban sociology pioneer, Patrick Geddes in Ballater.
Geddes was a man of diverse interests and talents. Today he is probably best known as a town planner, but he has also been described as a biologist, sociologist, conservationist, educationist, and ecologist.
He did much to improve the living conditions in his local environment, but he was also a figure of international importance who travelled widely and who corresponded with key thinkers and writers of the time such as Charles Darwin and Mahatma Gandhi.Geddes became a demonstrator in practical physiology at University College London, and in 1879 he travelled to Mexico to collect biological specimens.
Whilst in Mexico he suffered temporary blindness and this left him with permanently weakened eyesight. It was during this period that he discovered his ‘thinking machines’ – a visual method of presenting and connecting facts and ideas to aid thought.Alongside this inspired utilitarianism he furthered his beliefs in incorporating culture and learning.
He commissioned a huge narrative painting on the ceiling of the dining hall in Riddle’s Court; worked with artist John Duncan to produce Evergreen, a publication endorsing the values of the Celtic Renaissance, and commissioned the design and building of Ramsay Garden in the tradition of the Arts and Crafts Movement.
In the same period as all this he lectured in Botany at both Edinburgh and Dundee Universities; held summer schools in Edinburgh and London and set up The Outlook Tower. This innovative project encouraged people to observe the relationships between place, work and people within Edinburgh. Geddes himself was often the enthusiastic guide, bounding two steps at a time, to the top where a panoramic view of the city was revealed.
Furthering his expertise in town planning, Geddes worked to improve the slums of Edinburgh - and, later, the planning of other cities, such as Tel Aviv and Bombay - by focussing on the relationship between inhabitants and their surrounding environment.
Patrick Geddes was knighted in 1932, but died later that year in Montpellier, France.
