PLANNING IN ICELAND
From the settlement to present times

This book gives an overview of the development of settlements and urban areas in Iceland from its first settlement in 874 to present times. Iceland, being an island with a well-documented history, can be seen as a laboratory on how human habitat evolves and changes in an interplay with the forces of nature. As Iceland is small and sparsely populated, it fits well for the study on how aspects of society, nature, and planning interact. Until this book, the story of planning in Iceland has been unknown to the world. Scholars and students may find the book a good base for further study. The 1250 maps and pictures, and countless references, make it highly useful for such purposes.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface | 10
Introduction | 11
Book One – Nature: The Forces That Shape It | 31
Book Two – First Steps in the Shaping of Settlements | 59
Book Three – Plan Development of Towns and Regions | 93
Book Four – Development of Systems on a Country Scale | 255
Book Five – The Developments of Today | 365
Conclusions | 426

THE AUTHOR
Prof. Trausti Valsson studied Architecture and Planning at TU West-Berlin 1967 to 1972. He worked in the Reykjavik Development and Planning Office 1972 to 1979, e.g. on the first Green Plan and a Master Plan for new settlement areas for Reykjavik. After his PhD in Environmental Planning at UC Berkeley he has taught for 27 years as a Professor of Planning at the University of Iceland where he is now Emeritus. Valsson has published fourteen books and won several prizes for design and planning. In 2017 he was the first person to be awarded Honorary Prize of the Icelandic Planners' Association, for contribution to Planning in Iceland.