A model village is a type of mostly self-contained community, in most cases built from the late eighteenth century onwards by industrialists to house their workers. Although the villages are located close to industrial sites, they are generally physically separated from them and often consist of relatively high quality housing, with integrated community amenities and attractive physical environments. "Model" is used in the sense of an ideal to which other developments could aspire.
The term "model villages" also refers to the organised resettlements of refugees in Guatemala and Vietnam, developed by the national governments to isolate civilians from guerrillas.
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Model villages were created in the United Kingdom by some of the first industrialists. Eighteenth-century industrialists such as Arkwright and Wedgwood built housing for their workers, but fully developed settlements are more typical of the nineteenth century and continue into the twentieth. Most on the news recently has been Poundbury, a model village in rural Dorset guided by the Prince of Wales.
Model villages were built by philanthropist industrialists such as Titus Salt and George Cadbury to house their workers and provide social amenities. Architects associated with the movement include the designer of Woodlands Model Village and Creswell Model Village, Percy B. Houfton. They were influential in the development of the garden city movement.
There were often significant restrictions for living in model villages, often depending on the particular views of the builder. For example, Bournville model village had no pubs, because Cadbury abjured alcohol. And because they tended to be quite a distance from work, transportation also became an issue—perhaps the first time in history that commuting became significant (though it was not called that).
There are also some agricultural villages which can be seen as model villages. English examples are seen when a medieval settlement has been rebuilt by a rural landowner, as at Edensor (on the Chatsworth estate) and Selworthy.
(Chronological order)
Some villages were built around coal mines. In Yorkshire, the villages of Grimethorpe, Goldthorpe, Woodlands and Fitzwilliam were all built to house workers at the colliery, around which the houses were built. Following the mass pit closures of 1984-94, many of these villages suffered from huge losses in population.
(Chronological order)
In Italy's Lombardy region, Crespi d’Adda is a particularly well-preserved model workers' village, and has been a World Heritage Site since 1995. It was built from scratch, starting in 1878, to provide housing and social services for the workers in a cotton textile factory erected on the banks of the river Adda.
In Germany, Stadt des KdF-Wagens was built for the Volkswagen factory.
The town of Nuevo Baztán outside of Madrid dates from the mercantilist and entrepreneurial ambitions of an industrialist from the early 18th century.
Model villages were also built in the United States along the same lines as planned industrial communities, for example at Gwinn, Michigan and Pullman, Illinois. There were also such agricultural communities as the 18th century Davis Bend, Mississippi. Boulder City, Nevada was originally built in 1931 for housing for workers who were building Hoover Dam.
The first Model Villages, appeared with the Porfirio Diaz regime, being the most notable: Metepec and Tlacotalpan
India has its equivalent as model town. The first was Model Town, Bathinda put up with exclusive purpose of housing the employees of Guru Nanak Thermal Plant. Similar model towns are attached with many Indian cities.
related 'Idealised' town building schemes
For Individual entries see the articles. Standard reference work on subject (including some US and European examples) are;
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