The reconstruction of blitzed British cities, 1945–55: Myths and reality

Abstract

Fifty years after the process began, many are critical about the way that blitzed British cities were rebuilt. The problem, it is alleged, was ‘the planners’. They acted like dictators, and simply imposed their ‘New Jerusalemist’ ideas regardless of public opinion and national priority. Local populations were therefore betrayed on the alter of a profession's half‐baked utopianism. This article takes issue with such an interpretation, and shows why it is almost completely misconceived. Most planners were mild reformers, who wanted to work as far as possible in harmony with the citizens they served. However, planners were only one set of participants in a complex equation. Other forces shaped much of the reconstruction process. Most importantly, what occurred cannot be understood without reference to national government policy and the largely conservative aspirations of ordinary people.