Buchanan & After

Artist: Gordon Michell 
Author: Gordon Michell (?) 
Publisher: The British Road Foundation 
Date: 1964 
Condition: A little tanning to the spine and edges of the printed covers, and a small ink splash to the lower corner; internally very clean and apparently complete. Loosely inserted is a letter from R.H.Phillipson, of the BRF, introducing the report

Buchanan & After is both a historical document in its own right and a marvellous example of period graphic design and typography. Published in the wake of the government report 'Traffic in Towns', colloquially known as The Buchanan Report, this volume looks at the report from the point of view of the British Road Federation. 

The whole situation was the response of the time to a period of rebuilding, new development and an exponentially growing love affair with the private car and thus the impact this might have on towns and cities throughout the UK. Several examples are given, including London (which looks like it relates to the post-war plans, thankfully never executed, to raze most of Bloomsbury!), Leeds, Norwich and Newbury.

The author, Colin Michell, was a respected architect and urban planner whose work in this period aimed to balance what we now see could probably never really be satisfactorily balanced, the wish to preserve an environment whilst simultaneously driving through it! 

An interesting read, and a very stylishly presented document - I love the cover art!