Practicing Utopia

An Intellectual History of the New Town Movement

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Earth Sciences, Geography, Art & Architecture, Architecture, History
Cover of the book Practicing Utopia by Rosemary Wakeman, University of Chicago Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Rosemary Wakeman ISBN: 9780226346175
Publisher: University of Chicago Press Publication: April 1, 2016
Imprint: University of Chicago Press Language: English
Author: Rosemary Wakeman
ISBN: 9780226346175
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Publication: April 1, 2016
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Language: English

The typical town springs up around a natural resource—a river, an ocean, an exceptionally deep harbor—or in proximity to a larger, already thriving town. Not so with “new towns,” which are created by decree rather than out of necessity and are often intended to break from the tendencies of past development. New towns aren’t a new thing—ancient Phoenicians named their colonies Qart Hadasht, or New City—but these utopian developments saw a resurgence in the twentieth century.

In Practicing Utopia, Rosemary Wakeman gives us a sweeping view of the new town movement as a global phenomenon. From Tapiola in Finland to Islamabad in Pakistan, Cergy-Pontoise in France to Irvine in California, Wakeman unspools a masterly account of the golden age of new towns, exploring their utopian qualities and investigating what these towns can tell us about contemporary modernization and urban planning. She presents the new town movement as something truly global, defying a Cold War East-West dichotomy or the north-south polarization of rich and poor countries. Wherever these new towns were located, whatever their size, whether famous or forgotten, they shared a utopian lineage and conception that, in each case, reveals how residents and planners imagined their ideal urban future.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The typical town springs up around a natural resource—a river, an ocean, an exceptionally deep harbor—or in proximity to a larger, already thriving town. Not so with “new towns,” which are created by decree rather than out of necessity and are often intended to break from the tendencies of past development. New towns aren’t a new thing—ancient Phoenicians named their colonies Qart Hadasht, or New City—but these utopian developments saw a resurgence in the twentieth century.

In Practicing Utopia, Rosemary Wakeman gives us a sweeping view of the new town movement as a global phenomenon. From Tapiola in Finland to Islamabad in Pakistan, Cergy-Pontoise in France to Irvine in California, Wakeman unspools a masterly account of the golden age of new towns, exploring their utopian qualities and investigating what these towns can tell us about contemporary modernization and urban planning. She presents the new town movement as something truly global, defying a Cold War East-West dichotomy or the north-south polarization of rich and poor countries. Wherever these new towns were located, whatever their size, whether famous or forgotten, they shared a utopian lineage and conception that, in each case, reveals how residents and planners imagined their ideal urban future.

More books from University of Chicago Press

Cover of the book How We See the Sky by Rosemary Wakeman
Cover of the book Treasuring the Gaze by Rosemary Wakeman
Cover of the book Crime and Justice, Volume 41 by Rosemary Wakeman
Cover of the book Bas Jan Ader by Rosemary Wakeman
Cover of the book Romantic Things by Rosemary Wakeman
Cover of the book The Bond of the Furthest Apart by Rosemary Wakeman
Cover of the book Living Faith by Rosemary Wakeman
Cover of the book Time and Narrative, Volume 1 by Rosemary Wakeman
Cover of the book Sentimental Savants by Rosemary Wakeman
Cover of the book Evangelical Gotham by Rosemary Wakeman
Cover of the book The Restoration of the Self by Rosemary Wakeman
Cover of the book Teaching Embodied by Rosemary Wakeman
Cover of the book How to Lie with Maps, Third Edition by Rosemary Wakeman
Cover of the book The Politics of Resentment by Rosemary Wakeman
Cover of the book Gringo Gulch by Rosemary Wakeman
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy