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Catherine Bauer and Mel Webber: collaborators at Berkeley

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  • Ellen Shoshkes
  • Sy Adler

Abstract

The paper has two parts. The first surveys Bauer's trajectory from her arrival at Berkeley in 1940, through her time at Harvard and return to Berkeley in 1950. This section situates her work with Webber in the context of the interactive evolution of Department of City and Regional Planning (DCRP) at Berkeley and similar initiatives at Harvard and MIT, an important era in modern planning education. Part two starts with Webber's arrival at Berkeley in 1950, then chronologically examines his interchanges with Bauer. These begin in 1954 and cluster on two related initiatives. First was their joint research on metropolitan structure, which involved conceiving new theory and methods. The other was the expansion of the department curriculum to incorporate social sciences and establish a new research unit – the Institute of Urban and Regional Development (IURD). The paper illuminates their partnership in transforming DCRP from a focus on physical design to social policy and research. More broadly, the paper reveals how Bauer and Webber advanced a significant body of ideas through their collaborative research and institution building, at a time of major reforms in higher education. This set of ideas is reflected in the plan for the British new town of Milton Keynes.

Suggested Citation

  • Ellen Shoshkes & Sy Adler, 2026. "Catherine Bauer and Mel Webber: collaborators at Berkeley," Planning Perspectives, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(1), pages 91-109, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:rppexx:v:41:y:2026:i:1:p:91-109
    DOI: 10.1080/02665433.2025.2593369
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