Sir Patrick Geddes
Resident of Perth from 1857, student of the Perth Academy and of the university of life of Perth and Kinross.
Sir Patrick Geddes, biologist, botanist, sociologist, forefather of community-led regeneration, student of the Perth Academy, and philosopher of Kinnoull Hill has been enjoying something of a revival. In this modern age of fragmented specialisms and lack of joined up thinking, Geddes is an inspiration. "He took life as his subject and refused to subdivide it". The view from Kinnoull Hill, of the distant mountains, the fertile lowlands, the market towns, the city of Perth, all linked by the silvery Tay to the sea and the world beyond shows us and showed Geddes how everything joins together. Geddes also coined the clarion call of the environmental movement....
"Think Global, Act Local"
....except that he did it the best part of 100 years ago.
This guide brings forward Geddes philosophy to the present time. And in that we are now in the age of information and increasingly dependent on nurturing a knowledge economy, it is appropriate that this guide follows the Scottish academic traditions which Geddes espoused: of inter-disciplinary generalism and democratic intellectualism, that were to exercise such a powerful influence on the 20th century.
There is so much to be gained when specialist areas of knowledge are allowed to mix and synthesise, and where the public are fully involved.
There are very sound legal, financial and practical reasons for taking this approach.
Though this guide covers many different specialisms, they all combine together to create public space. Though this guide is about public space, it is life that is the goal. And as Geddes said - "by leaves we live".
