Krupp Company had built many housing estates for their workers since mid-19th century. For example, “Westend”, “Kronenberg”, “Shederhof”, etc. in Essen. These had been developed in strict grid pattern. But at the end of the 19th century, “Altenhof” was developed in a more freely layout with picturesque cottages. Thereafter more housing estates in freely planed layout had been built. The main objectives of this study are to clarify the detail of these housing estates and to get some suggestion of its effects on their residents.
While, Krupp Company established another steel mill in Duisburg and engaged coal mining in communities in Ruhr region. For these, Krupp Company built housing estates such as “Margarethenhof”, “Dahlhauser Heide”, “Emscher Lippe”. Garden-city movement was introduced in Germany, so the Garden-city type site-plan was adopted for these housing estates. The housing form adopted traditional farmhouse as a model. Semi-detached houses connected by each shed and their emphasis of gables made scenery like rural village. In Dahlhauser Heide and Emscher-Lippe, house plans were arranged in reasonable way, and it could be said a pioneering trial of the planning rationalization after the World War I.
On the other hand, as industry was developed, many farmers from east Prussian region emigrated to work in Ruhr region. These unskilled workers had to engage in lower wage jobs in factories. Many of them lived in group by their original region and brought up vegetables and domestic animals in backyards. There was the fact, however, that residents in these estates discussed in this paper had a lower turnover rate than those of in other housing estates.
Raymond Unwin wrote in his book “Town Planning in Practice” that “we have neglected the amenities of life. (….) There is needed the vivifying touch of art which would give completeness and increase their value tenfold; there is needed just that imaginative treatment which could transform the whole.” The Garden-city type site-plan could attach this vivifying touch of art to these housing estates.
It can be said that the layout and housing form of these housing estates provided comfortable living environment. And many of residents have been farmers from east Prussia and were familiar to these farmhouse-like form of houses and village-like scenery. Therefore, the effects of the layout and housing-form of these housing estates would be suggested as follows:
- The Garden-city type layout provided comfortable living environment and housing form and scenery in these housing estates eased residents’ mind and fostered their sense of belonging.
- House Plans of these housing estates arranged with reasonability were pioneer of the planning rationalization.
- Also, these housing estates could be said forerunners of the “German Garden Village for workers”.
抄録全体を表示