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The commentary revisits Abercrombie’s historical work on rural planning to assess its contemporary relevance.

January 14, 2026Town Planning Review0 citations

Revisiting Abercrombie’s ‘The Preservation of Rural England’ one hundred years on

MSMark ScottUniversity College Dublin NGNick GallentThe National Gallery MGMenelaos GkartziosIzmir Institute of Technology

Key Points

The commentary revisits Abercrombie’s historical work on rural planning to assess its contemporary relevance.
Analysis of Abercrombie’s original paper and its context in early 20th-century rural planning.
Examination of key themes including rural condition, planning practices, and geographic policy limitations.
Discussion of the applicability of Abercrombie's ideas to present-day rural planning debates.
Highlights the enduring significance of Abercrombie's analysis of the rural condition.
Identifies valuable skills and knowledge from his work beneficial for modern rural planners.
Clarifies limitations in the transfer of geographical policies to contemporary rural contexts.

Abstract

Exactly 100 years ago, Town Planning Review published Abercrombie’s seminal paper on planning for rural places – ‘The Preservation of Rural England’. To mark the centenary of its publication, in this commentary we revisit Abercrombie’s work on rural planning. In doing so, we hope to reflect on the significance of Abercrombie’s ideas while contributing to contemporary rural planning debates. This commentary focuses on three dimensions: 1) Abercrombie’s analysis of the rural condition at the start of the twentieth century; 2) Abercrombie’s thoughts on rural planning practice, skills and knowledge; and 3) the limitations of geography and policy transfer.

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