# VI: Sociology explained — Sticks and Stones

> Chapter companion for Sticks and Stones by Lewis Mumford.

## What happens

This chapter provides a sociological and civic background for the study of architecture, referencing key works by Patrick Geddes, Victor Branford, and others. It directs the student to sources on social institutions, architectural forms, and contemporary problems such as craftsmanship versus mechanization, community planning, and the garden city movement.

## Themes in this chapter

### Community vs. Individualism

The chapter emphasizes community planning and social institutions, as seen in references to the Committee on Community Planning and Ebenezer Howard's garden cities.

### Craftsmanship vs. Mechanization

Highlighted by the reference to F. L. Ackermann's article 'Craftsmen—Machines—Speed—Credit', which addresses the tension between craft and industrial speed.

### Economic and Social Foundations of Art

The chapter's focus on the economic and social order as obstacles for architects directly ties to this theme.

### Human Scale and Organic Urban Planning

The inclusion of garden cities and the Appalachian Trail reflects an interest in human-scale, organic planning.

## Character check-ins

### Patrick Geddes

Author of 'Cities in Evolution' and 'Principles of Sociology in Relation to Economics', foundational to the chapter's sociological approach.

### Benton MacKaye

Cited for his article on the proposed Appalachian Trail in the Journal of the American Institute of Architects.

### Ebenezer Howard

Mentioned for his classic work 'Garden Cities of Tomorrow', relevant to community planning.

## Key lines

> For the civic and sociological background of this study, consult Professor Patrick Geddes’s Cities in Evolution , London: 1915, likewise his Principles of Sociology in Relation to Economics .

To understand the civic and sociological context, refer to Patrick Geddes's works from 1915 and his related sociology text.

_Establishes the chapter's reliance on Geddes's sociological framework._

> The report of the Committee on Community Planning of the American Institute of Architects (1924) should be read in connection with the last chapter: it treats in detail the difficulties that the architect confronts under our present economic and social order.

The 1924 AIA community planning report, linked to the final chapter, examines the challenges architects face in the current economic and social system.

_Highlights the practical obstacles for architects within the existing social structure._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/sticks_and_stones_se/chapters/vi-sociology
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/sticks_and_stones_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/sticks_and_stones_se/chapters