Which planned settlement in England, founded in 1903, was the world’s first garden city?

Letchworth Garden City, founded in England in 1903, was the world’s first garden city.

The settlement was developed according to ideas set out by Ebenezer Howard in his 1898 book, To-Morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform. Howard proposed combining the social and economic opportunities of cities with the healthful environment of the countryside. Letchworth was planned with separated industrial, residential, and agricultural areas, along with extensive green space.

Architects Barry Parker and Raymond Unwin shaped much of the town’s early layout and housing. The project influenced twentieth-century planning in Britain and abroad, including the later garden city of Welwyn Garden City.

Garden cities are not simply suburbs with parks. Howard’s original concept included limits on growth, community ownership of land, and a balance between homes, jobs, and agriculture. Many later developments borrowed the visual style without fully adopting that economic model.