Berkeley Planning Journal

Back in 1 948, when Jack Kent opened the door at DCRP, its context and mission were pretty clear. World War II was over. Infrastructure backlogs were huge, following nearly twenty depression-and-war years of deferred construction. Cities everywhere were attempting to replan and rebuild, creating new fervor for city planning. With the hard years behind and bright horizons ahead, the new department was being organized to lead the way by bringing planning to California's cities. At about the same time David Riesman was reminding his readers·that city planning was the last stronghold of utopianism. The optimistic new Berkeley department set out to prove it.