About

JOHN NOLEN PROJECT 

Organized by CIVITAS and Back to Erie, Inc., the John Nolen Greater Erie 1913-2013 Conversation Project is 12-month long social sculpture designed to identify which aspects of Nolen’s plan remain relevant in 2013. Spontaneous and guided discussions as well as presentations, lectures, panels, displays and publications will form this evolving work. Those interested in participating in a conversation are invited to send a letter to the Civitas office, or respond to this blog, or attend the weekly office hour from 9 to 10 in the morning in Suite 605 of Erie’s Masonic Temple.

JOHN NOLEN
John Nolen (1869-1937) was the “first American to identify himself exclusively as a town and city planner.”* Because large cities were too politically complex to influence, Nolen devoted himself to creating over 400 designs for parks, subdivisions, towns and small cities. Nolen’s design philosophy embraced the needs of government, business and the public: the rich and poor, the young and old, and those yet to be born. Nolen’s proposals were carried out in Kingsport, TN; Mariemont, OH; Myers Park, Charlotte, NC; and Venice, FL. But moreoften, Nolen’s plans were only partially enacted, as in Erie, PA.

JOHN NOLEN CONVERSATION TOPIC SCHEDULE

I. STREETS (Jan.-March)
closings, direction, width, parking, trees, signage, furniture, and the public realm, etc.

II. TRANSPORTATION (March-May)
foot, bike, bus, taxi, auto, train, plane, boat, etc.

III. WATERFRONT (May–July)
access, recreation, residence, business, industry, etc.

IV. BUILDINGS (July–Nov.)
zoning, preservation, suburban/urban, taxes, etc.

V. OPEN SPACES (Nov.–Dec.)
boulevards, passive parks, playgrounds, etc.

READ NOLEN’S PLAN FOR ERIE
GREATER ERIE 1913: Plans and Reports for the Extension and Improvement of the City http://archive.org/details/greatererieplan00tradgoog

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Birnbaum, Charles A. Pioneers of American Landscape Design. McGraw Hill: NY, NY, 2000
*Hancock, John. “John Nolen: New Towns in Florida.” The New City. University of Miami School of Architecture: Miami, 1991
Nolen, John. Greater Erie 1913: Plans and Reports for Extension and Improvement of the City. Ashby Printing: Erie, PA, 1914
Nolen, John. New Towns for Old. Marshall Jones Incorporated: Boston, 1927
Warren, Charles D. (Introduction to the New Edition of John Nolen’s New Towns for Old). University of Massachusetts Press: Amherst and Boston, 2006