3. Utopia as a blueprint of our modern cities

3. Utopia as a blueprint of our modern cities

“Utopia is not a state, not an artists’ colony but the dirty secret of all architecture, even the most debased: deep down, all architecture, no matter how naive and implausible,

claims to make the world the better place”- Rem Koolhaas

Figure 9. Antonio Sant’Elia’s Citta Nuova (1914) alongside Richard Rogers’ Lloyd’s building in London (1986)

There was a fascination with the idea of creating utopia in the 20th century. The focus

shifted from constructing something symbolic to starting a discussion to trigger the

catalyst of change that the world was going through. Designers started to bring in picture

the long-term changes that was expected by the end of era and our response to the same.

Utopianism, or utopian thought, is a way of analysing contemporary situations and

perceived problems, and designing an ideal solution. Despite proposed utopias being

ideals, they do instigate the conversations that promote innovation and advancement,

and in this way, utopia acts more as a way of thinking than a way of action. Utopianism

seems to experience a continuous evolution or adaptation, a product of the influence of

the immediate past, that is translated, emulated and interpreted. All examples of utopia

are a product of their time, and the time period leading up to a certain utopia seems to

have an influence on the manifestation of utopia.