author
Sir Raymond Unwin
1863–1940
A key figure in the garden city movement, he helped shape a more humane vision of modern towns and suburbs. His work joined architecture, planning, and social reform, with a lasting focus on better housing for ordinary people.
1 Audiobook
The Art of Building a Home: A collection of lectures and illustrations
by Barry Parker, Sir Raymond Unwin
About the author
Born in 1863, Sir Raymond Unwin became one of Britain's most influential architects and town planners. Trained first in engineering, he later worked closely with Barry Parker, and together they became central figures in the early garden city movement.
Unwin is especially remembered for his work on Letchworth Garden City and Hampstead Garden Suburb, projects that helped turn new ideas about healthy, well-planned communities into built reality. His writing and professional work argued that town planning should serve everyday life, with careful street layouts, green space, and decent homes at the center.
He went on to play an important public role in housing and planning, including work connected with national housing policy after the First World War. Knighted in 1932, he is still regarded as a major force in the development of modern British town planning.