Thomas D. Wilson, AICP, is a town planning consultant in South Carolina. He previously served as director of comprehensive planning in Savannah, as planning director for Beaufort County, South Carolina, and as a planning official and research analyst in Miami, Key West, and Philadelphia.
The Oglethorpe Plan: Enlightenment Design in Savannah and Beyond
fills a gap in Georgia colonial history, carving out a place for a
contextual history that brings the influence of Oglethorpe,
Georgia, and Savannah to the present day through the premise that
social change can be rooted in urban design.-- "Georgia Library
Quarterly"
This is a fascinating book that shifts perception of Oglethorpe's
Savannah plan dramatically from that of a beautiful but essentially
limited example of utopian design to an urban model fully
representative of mainstream eighteenth-century intellectual
thought.--Jack Williams, Professor Emeritus, Auburn University,
author of East 40 Degrees: An Interpretive Atlas
Thomas Wilson brings a fresh perspective on the planning
accomplishments of James Oglethorpe, situating Savannah's famous
urban plan within the broader framework of Enlightenment
philosophy, social reform, religious philanthropy, and agrarian
idealism. His study challenges accepted notions of Oglethorpe's
intentions and makes a compelling case for understanding the urban
plan of Savannah as part of an integrated system of land use
planning. This book will be a valuable resource to anyone
interested in the history and planning of American cities.--Robin
Williams, Savannah College of Art and Design
To make the familiar unfamiliar is one of the most powerful acts of
a historian and Wilson does this. His carefully researched story
describes both Oglethorpe's contribution to the Enlightenment and
the rich intellec- tual context for both the idea's initial
generation and its manifestation in Georgia. Wilson successfully
chal- lenges the "static portrayal of Oglethorpe's role in his-
tory " and is able to persuasively argue for his contribu- tions to
"social reform, political theory, and town plan- ning" (p. 1).The
description of Oglethorpe's efforts to create social equity through
physical design remains rel- evant today. In addition, Wilson's
careful analysis points to a frequent misrepresentation of the plan
as infinitely expandable, demonstrating instead that there is an
ideal scale at which the plan as a whole is optimal.--Thaisa Way
"H-Environment"
Wilson considers this philosophy, the present-day physical ambience
of Savannah (with 18th-century urban design filled in with
19th-century architecture protected by 20th-century historic
preservation districts), and its implications. What can it say to
planners today?... Wilson handles both the history and the planning
issues with delicacy and precision. Don't miss this treat.--
"Planning Magazine"
Wilson is deeply familiar with Savannah.... [His] detailing of this
history is serious but accessible, not stuffy or academic. It's a
fascinating tour of the potential, and the limits, of design.--
"Landscape Architecture Magazine"
Wilson's insightful analysis opens new avenues of study regarding
the implications of Oglethorpe's timeless design of Savannah, both
in its historical context and for current urban planning.--
"Georgia Historical Quarterly"
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