The Limits of Counterculture Urbanism: Utopian Planning and Practical Politics in Berkeley, 1969–73
Publication Date
8-16-2023
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Journal of Planning History
Volume
23
Issue
1
DOI
10.1177/15385132231193389
First Page
49
Last Page
70
Abstract
Around 1970, the City of Berkeley briefly became an epicenter of radical experimentation in urban planning and design, directly stemming from the counterculture of the late 1960s. This essay examines the ideological and political emergence of Berkeley’s counterculture urbanism, arguing that its experiments left two important legacies in the history of planning. On the level of utopian thought, it articulated a clear alternative to mainstream capitalist urban development, or what Henri Lefebvre called “abstract space.” On the level of contemporary planning practices, it opened up still-unresolved conflicts, especially between localized environmental preservation and the abstract, economic demands for affordable housing.
Department
Art and Art History
Recommended Citation
Anthony Raynsford. "The Limits of Counterculture Urbanism: Utopian Planning and Practical Politics in Berkeley, 1969–73" Journal of Planning History (2023): 49-70. https://doi.org/10.1177/15385132231193389
