What is a City?: Utopian cities and why they might not be so 'ideal'

What is a City?: Utopian cities and why they might not be so 'ideal'

Some might attempt to define a city using the physical built environment. However, I think the city and its success is dependent on the people that live in it. For example, after studying about Brasilia, it is clear that, although as architects and designers we want to created beautifully planned cities, that might not be what is best for the people. In my eyes, a city must be a place that provides opportunities, is adaptable to the needs of the residents, and has its own identity. For example, in Palmanova. Italy, the city plan was influenced by the Renaissance ideal cities and therefore was very geometrical and symmetrical. However, it was not considered successful as the sameness of the architecture led to a lack of identity and character, and it was difficult to navigate around the city.

Furthermore, I think that another key element that also helps to determine a city’s character is its history. That is why I think that cities that have been designed from what can be considered a blank slate are not as successful as cities with a rich history. I am also interested in the topic of utopias and how this has influenced architecture and the development of cities. There are utopian pieces of literature that describe cities, but most importantly it describes an ideal society. The topic of utopia has been intertwined with architecture from Boullée’s drawings to Le Corbusier’s Unite d’Habitation, and I believe that it is for this reason that architects now have a responsibility to create socially sustainable cities. People are what makes a city, and architects have the privilege of designing the spaces they occupy.