Urban Utopias in the 20th Century

Paper Summary:

This paper details the vision of a perfect society as proposed by Frank Lloyd Wright and Ebenezer Howard, both considered revolutionary thinkers of their time. This paper focuses on two of the three 'urban utopias' detailed in "Utopias of the Twentieth Century" written by Robert Fishman. Wright's vision of Broadacre City was to create small pockets of low-density development, reducing populations in major urban areas, whereas Howard's Garden City was planned to be an estate embracing an area of 6,000 acres. The writer of this paper also examines how Wright and Howard's visions influenced contemporary society and contends that evidence of their ideas can still be seen all over the world. This paper also discusses how both disagreed on many issues yet held similar views in their plans for the ideal city.

Table of Contents:
"Broadacre City"
"The Garden City"
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Suburbs generally could be said to have little or no meaning. Many of them are purely bedroom communities, with few businesses, perhaps a branch of the local bank. Many do not have economies that could support them. People who live in the commute as much as an hour and a half each way to their place of work on a daily basis. One's car becomes more of a home environment than any other place. Energy consumption in the U.S. due to the availability of cheap energy is through the roof, most of it provided by fossil fuel, not the least of the culprits is the automobile."

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